I am loving Ian Adams morning bell reflections for lent you can find out more here. This series of snowy, slightly out of focus images and words seems to have been taken from a train or moving vehicle. The challenging words bring me up short, and as lent should makes me re-evaluate and prepare myself for the year ahead.
The images and words set off all sorts of connections in my brain and as I sit with them I move from a disconcertion, to peace to hope as I look forward to the Easter. The movement reminds me to sit with the disconcerting feelings they raise and to embrace the words in the now. The peace comes not as a relief but from a knowing that we can live beyond the temporal, (perhaps at times only fleetingly) but we need to embrace the reality of the everyday and ourselves if we are to do so.
Thanks Richard for this feedback. The Lent series of Morning Bell is the toughest thing I’ve done personally in a long time. And I’ve had moments when I’ve been really concerned about taking people on a journey into such a demanding place. But I sense it is worthwhile – more than that – actually really important that we face up with honesty to whatever seeks to throw us off balance. And perhaps discover through the taunt or temptation a far greater source of strength, hope and love…