Annunciation of the Lord

Persist in your holy purpose, even if you fail a thousand times a day.

~Louis De Blois, Spiritual Mirror

I was ten years old when Mary Lou Retton won gold at the Summer Olympics and changed the sport of gymnastics forever. Until that moment, I had never been interested in anything remotely athletic, but, like millions of other little girls, I caught gymnastics fever. For two years, I took gymnastic lessons, spending countless hours in our front yard practicing handstands, backbends, cartwheels and round~offs. Up, over, down. Up, over, down. I practiced and practiced until it became obvious that I would never make it past a front walkover. Flipping and swinging over vaults and bars took physical strength and courage I would never possess.

Those years weren’t a waste despite my failed attempt at Olympic gold. I learned something in that time that has never left me. I learned what it felt like to have purpose and drive. I learned what the fruits of practice, intentionality and deep commitment tasted like. I learned how good it felt to grow in skill and ability. These lessons have served me well as a mother, farmer, writer, camp director and preacher, to name a few of my holy purposes.

Lent is a season when we are given the opportunity to practice the spiritual discipline of listening to God’s call on our lives, to fast from the things that distract us, and instead to hone in on who and what the Holy Spirit is calling us to do and become in the common everydayness of our lives. It is a season of responding as we remember Mary’s words to the angel Gabriel on this feast day of the Annunciation: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” We follow this response with intentionality, practicing over and over the cartwheels and handstands of that call, falling down, getting up and trying again.

For Reflection

What might you need to fast from to hear God’s holy purpose in your life?

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