The Breath of LentSample

These verses remind us of a few things. First comes the reminder of who we are: God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved. Take a moment to soak that in. You are chosen. You are holy. You are dearly loved. Then we are instructed- clothe yourselves with… clothing is often the first thing someone sees on us. It provides a first impression. It helps to show who we are. We are told to be so compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient that those traits will immediately be recognizable to the people around us. These attributes are not always natural, but you can choose to be compassionate. You can choose to clothe yourself in humility. The next choice presented is forgiveness. The choice is yours whether or not to forgive, but we are reminded that the Lord forgave first. Finally, we are told to put on love.

How will you clothe yourself today? What attributes will you bring to the forefront of your day? Today, you may choose to use the breath prayer provided for the week. Or maybe today, you want to create your own breath prayer. You may choose to pray by claiming one of the identity reminders on your inhale, asking to increase one of the attributes listed on the exhale (example- Inhale: I am chosen. Exhale: increase compassion in me.)

Inhale: Teach me to do your will

Exhale: for you are my God.