2017 Belmont University Lenten Devotional Guideنمونہ

I often find myself being my own greatest critic. In work, life, relationships, and so on. During this season of Lent, I am reminded that my relationship with God is always one that can be improved upon, and that improvement begins with communication and prayer. Communication can be carried out in a variety of ways, verbal or non-verbal, internal or external. There are times when open communication and transparency are hindered by negative thoughts or “what ifs?” that ultimately keep a person from reaching out for help, understanding a situation better, or confessing that they made a mistake. During our various busy seasons, how many moments do we feel as though we are drowning in our work, our to-do lists, our thoughts and our uncertainties? In Psalm 32:6, we, as His faithful servants, are called to pray to our Lord and to be rest assured that “surely the rising of the mighty waters, will not reach them.” In our moments of need, we can find an outlet and a calmness by reaching out to God and communicating with Him about our thoughts, struggles, fears, mistakes and trust in knowing that God’s plan will give us hope and a future. I think of the popular song “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers and about how God wants us to lean into Him and be confident in knowing that we are not alone. How wonderful is it that we have a merciful God? A God whom we can lean on “so that we may receive mercy and find grace.” Jesus is God with us and is our voice in times when we feel we cannot speak out loud or when we cannot communicate our thoughts, fears and frustrations. He is there in our time of weakness and sin and when we are our greatest critics. In this time, we must communicate. We must communicate with Him in prayer and allow Him to fill our Hearts while speaking openly and honestly for He is the Great High Priest. With this season of Lent upon us, I encourage you to take the time to stop, listen and open yourself up to God regularly, so that your relationship may be strong and built upon the foundation of open communication. TAYLOR DILLON Admissions Coordinator Office of Admissions