Worth the Effort

Yesterday morning while the temperature was below freezing and snow fell from the sky, I stood in front of the church, ready to distribute ashes to anybody who was interested.  I had a few takers, and also talked about the meaning of ashes and Lent with someone.  I repeated the exercise at noon.  By then the mercury had inched its way up into the mid 30s and the sun began to poke through the clouds.  So, was it worth the effort?

Most definitely.

Not only was I able to share ashes with a few people, not only was I able to discuss the purpose of Lent, not only was I able to offer a friendly, visible witness on behalf of our church (I waved at people driving by and many replied in kind.  A couple of cars honked and a flatbed tooted its air horn!).  I was able to reflect on the effort that God has made for and on behalf of me.

I know that putting up with yours truly has to be far more demanding of the Almighty than my standing in the cold.  And yet God does this for me.  Each and every day.  So, why do I do things that make it harder for me to receive God's love?  It's a question always worth pondering, but especially during this season of Lent.

Sometimes, we wonder whether what we're doing makes a difference.  If we're in the church, we can fall prey to metrics, looking for the biggest turnout.  But in those moments, we should remember that where two or three are gathered, Jesus is present.  To God, we're always worth the effort.

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