May you see the Lord!

On Monday of Holy Week I went canoeing with some friends. We put our boat into the water and paddled into unknown territory. We were away from the sounds of roadways. We got to see otters, snakes, birds, alligators, fish, turtles, flowers, trees, plants, and algae. We came across a variety of scents – some beautiful others not. The path the river followed was not straight and predictable like the roadways we drive on to get from place to place. When a log was in our way we had to figure out how to continue on without turning around or getting drenched.

Occasionally in the midst of the unknown territory we would come to a roadway. When we came to the bridges we would again hear the sounds of cars, people talking, and the smell of tar where there was construction. Yet, as we paddled under the bridges we got to see the pieces of life that we normally miss because we’re driving too fast.

This Holy Week let’s try to slow down and get under the bridge we normally take and open our senses to the holy. On Maundy Thursday, grab your towel, get on your knees, and make clean the things that are dirty in this world. On Good Friday, look high to the cross knowing that death does not have the final say. On Easter morning, wake with a new hope that even when you don’t think that God is there – Christ is right beside you.

May you see the Lord!