It was another one of those roller-coaster days. This time it was the downhill of the ride.

The journey of the life of faith

Once again our hearts were plunging. Sitting in the family counseling room, the doctor explained why they had to put my wife, Kris, into the medically induced coma. There she lay, motionless—the only evidence of life was the beeping of the monitor. Right outside the door a waiting room of friends and family waited for us. How could I face them with the tears running from my eyes?

“Stop it! Stop it!” I yelled inwardly to myself. “You are a pastor. You can’t be crying. You are a pastor and you must be strong.” The more I rebuked myself, the more the tears came.

Then those words hit me—from my favorite psalm—“Be still, and know that I am God . . . Be still, and know that I am God.” Take a deep breath. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Wipe those tears from your eyes. “Be still, and know that I am God.” The shaking was less noticeable. “Be still, and know that I am God.” I could speak to my friends and family once again. God was in control. “Be still.” I became still as I reached my hand for the doorknob and walked into the waiting room.

For me, Lent is a journey. It is a journey of life. Through the eyes of faith, we view the passion of our Lord. We walk with him from the upper room to the cross to the tomb. Lent is the journey of Jesus’ life, and it is also the journey of my life of faith. I bring to my Lord the various experiences of life. I bring my sorrows and joys, my temptations and weaknesses, my trials and sufferings. I bring them to the passion of my Lord, and I find stillness for my soul—the quiet confidence of forgiveness that comes only from his cross and the empty tomb.

Bring all your unsettling thoughts

What do you bring to the cross this year? What causes your soul to be disquieted? What unsettles your heart? Where are you in your journey of faith? What stillness do you need?
Do you come to the cross in the midst of the betrayal of your own sins? Look up to the cross and hear the words of your Savior: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Those words speak to you—to me—to a world that has betrayed our Lord with our sins. “Lord, I have sinned against you,” my soul cries out. Looking up to the cross, my Lord says, “Be still. I forgive you.”