Jennifer G. Townsend

Something is overwhelming about the 3 am hour when worries flood my mind and a list of to-dos pounds in my head! Many friends have also shared their troubles with this sinister hour.

God is also there during my 3 am wake-up call, reminding me of the gifts of His nearness. His gentle whisper never fails to lead me in the right direction, reminding me of all His promises and that I have nothing to fear. I have learned when I make time for Him, He takes care of me.

A change of attention, looking at God instead of my problems, often makes all the difference.

God’s Word says in Psalm 100:4: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” Interestingly, it is the same today, as in the Old Testament, when the Israelites used to carry God’s presence with them in the Tabernacle; the outer courts where they entered were filled with praise. God draws near to us through our praises when we take the time to notice and thank Him for His goodness instead of being overwhelmed by our struggles.

So, instead of listening to my worries last night, I listened to my Father and entered His presence with Thanksgiving. In my sleepy stupor, I reverted to my ABCs, going through the alphabet of things for which I am thankful. Bear with me in this. A is for apple, which made me think of all the beautiful flavors God has created, including the watermelon at the top of my list. B is for my daughter Bella, one of my greatest joys and teachers, and then I started thanking God for all the other people who have helped me along in my faith. When we start noticing God’s gifts, there are so many we can’t stop, and I fell back into a sweet sleep until morning.

So instead of counting sheep, let’s count our blessings and let God, the good Father that He is, lull us back to sleep.

Happy Valentines Day

Waylon Jennings's song Back to the Basics of Love (Luckenbach, Texas) is one of my favorite country songs as it reminds me to focus on what is most important, love, and to let go of the things that get in the way of that. Love liberates us to be our best selves. It is the ultimate relationship builder as it frees from the entanglements of comparison, judgment, envy and selfish ambition.
 
Love is it— it is our simple yet hard-to-do calling as followers of Christ. Religion means nothing without love, and so do so many things. God's economy is love, and He prioritizes relationships.
 
Lent begins on Valentine's Day this year; how fitting it is to start our reflection on the greatest act of love 40 days before it happened.
 
Many churches observe Lent by fasting, meditating, and practicing their faith during the 40 days leading up to Easter, and I want to join in.
 
This year, I'm going to practice Lent by focusing on the greatest commandment that encapsulates all the others—Matthew 22: 37-39, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… and Love your neighbor as yourself."
 
Our relationship with God is personal, so I plan to do something different this year. Each day, I want to focus on and thank God for what I love about Him and emulate His love by sharing that attribute with others. God's love enables us to be better lovers.
 
I never want to underestimate genuine love that generously honors, forgives, and refreshes others.
 
Please join me and share what you are doing for Lent this year. Hearing how God works in your other's lives makes my faith come alive.
 
Maybe it's time we got back to the basics of love.