Hi Friends!

I’m so excited to guide you this week to begin our 6 week journey through Lent! In today’s blog post, you will:

• Read this week’s Lent Reflection: LOVE is a Journey (Intro to Lent)
• Learn HOW TO’s: How to Participate in the Whispers of Rest Soul Care Lent Series

HOW TO’s: Whispers of Rest Soul Care Lent Retreat

First, here are 5 ways to enjoy this Soul Care Lent I’ve prepared for you!

1. ?Watch my Whispers of Rest Lent Reflection FB Live! every Monday at 9am PST in my Private FB Group. I’ll do a new FB Live! to inspire your week. Share your Ah-ha moments. Replay available. This FB Group is only for Newsletter Subscribers. (Subscribers, click here to join. Not a subscriber? Sign up here for access.)

2. ?Watch the “Introduction to Lent” Video in the FB Group.  It is important you watch this video first, friends!

3. ?Read my 40day devotional Whispers of Rest every day, to feel God’s love and peace, to rest and refreshed.

This Lenten Retreat is most powerful if you read along with my 40-day book, so you can do the hands-on soul care tips, Scripture, stories, scientific studies & prayers that helped me spark joy & experience God’s peace during a stressful time in my life. So get a copy of Whispers of Rest, if you don’t have one yet. (click to read reviews that readers posted on Amazon!)
IMPORTANT: Read this loving devotional at your own pace. Some read one devotional every other day or one a week. Do what feels restful to you!

4. ? *NEW* Get me as your Virtual Soul Care Rest Mentor! Get the Soul Care Package!

It’s so much easier to let God love you when you have someone cheering you on! In my real life, I meet with women 1-1 and in small groups as their Soul Care Rest Mentor to help them rest and spark joy again, guiding them to put into practice God’s love to nurture themselves, as they hear His whispers of rest.

Now, I can also cheer you daily too! How? I created a beautiful NEW 40day Soul Care Guide eBook called “You’re Worth Loving”, where I give you daily love notes as your virtual Soul Care Mentor to practice soul care with God. I invite you to a simple focus everyday to rest and prioritize your wellbeing. Not only that, I add a combination of resources: videos, podcasts, and reflection coloring pages into the ebook. (Psst, I even hired a filmmaker that worked for the company that filmed the Oscars, because I wanted you to feel rest by simply seeing God’s beauty in nature, by filming videos in 6 different beautiful nature locations.)

I created this as a powerful companion resource to Whispers of Rest. I’m SO excited to announce this Soul Care Package: a beautiful NEW 40day Soul Care Guide eBook called “You’re Worth Loving”, 6 teaching videos, 6 prayer podcasts, Scripture coloring pages – and access to a Self-Paced Online Book Club! Click here to get the Whispers of Rest Soul Care Resources Package! I priced it very low, because I want everyone to get it!

Click here to get the Whispers of Rest Soul Care Resources Package!

5. ? Read my weekly blog reflections on Lent.

I will give a One Word Lent Reflection each week leading up to Easter. Let’s do that now. Quiet your heart. Have a journal ready to capture your ah-ha’s. Or simply close your eyes and rest into whatever God has for you today.

Today’s Lent Reflection: LOVE is a Journey

We begin our first step into Lent Soul Care Series with this One Word:

LOVE

Love is a journey.

This is what our 6 week journey of Lent is about. To give Jesus SPACE to love us. Our Soul Care Lent is a journey to join Jesus on his journey – to see how much Jesus loves us.

And as we are filled and touched by that love, we allow that love to move us to take action to REST AND RECEIVE God’s love.

TAKE ACTION

So many times we only pray with our minds by asking God to give us peace and love. But, we need open our hearts to TAKE ACTION, to actually make choices to let God love us.

We let love in when we choose to rest and choose things that can spark our joy and give us peace. This is hard, because it is easier to just keep doing for others. 

We feel we have to earn our goodness. We have to earn our right to rest and refresh. Otherwise we feel guilty. We are afraid of others whose love is conditional, for whom we have to work for, to gain acceptance and approval.

But, this is not how Jesus loves us. Let’s see how Jesus beings his journey to the cross, after he said –

“Jesus knew that the time had come
for him to leave this world and go back to the Father. 
Having loved his own who were in the world,
He loved them to the end.” John 13:1

Do you know what Jesus did to show that love after He says these words?

Listen. God’s Words For You. LOVE is a journey.

Jesus probably felt so troubled and yet, the best way He could think of to spend the last night together was to — wash their feet.

CLOSE YOUR EYES
Close your eyes and imagine Jesus — in the  midst of all your worries and preoccupation — quietly take off his robe, standing close to you, roll up his sleeves, drop to the floor and look into your eyes.

See him reaching out his hand, his fingers relaxed, ready to wash your feet, if you’d let him.

He wants to be so close to you. He’s brought a warm basin of water, scented with drops of jasmine and eucalyptus. He wants you to relax, sit down and be at rest.

How does it feel to be so close to Jesus, with Him so tenderly concerned to take care of you?

Jesus invites you to lean into him and see the dream that flashed in his heart as he carried the cross: it’s his dream of you, as his fingertips traced the outline of your face and carved the shape of your heart — in the secret place. This dreams came true the moment he drew close and breathed in you. And heard your heart beat.

Our #OneWordLent Prayer Today: LOVE

Let’s pray in this quiet moment —

Lord Jesus,

You feel my heartache.
You hear my heart beat.

You chose me then.

Help me believe you still chose to love me today. As is.

Walk this journey with me.
Just like you promised.

Lord, I need you. Today.

SOUL CARE CHALLENGE:

This week is an introduction, to prepare you to enter into Lent Week #1 beginning next Monday, March 11 (there are 6 weeks we will journey together, ending on Easter week) this what I invite you to do:

1. Hold the Image of Jesus kneeling close next to you, wanting you to sit and let him wash your feet.

2. Write Jesus a Letter.
How does Jesus being so close to you, kneeling, longing to see you rest, to touch your feet, to soothe you – how does it make you feel?  Share this with Jesus by writing him a letter.

Dear Jesus, it makes me feel _____ to imagine you wanting to love me, take care of me, and stopping to just relax with you. 

Peter said, No way, Jesus. You can never wash my feet. But, Jesus said, ” “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” John 13:8

Imagine Jesus gently looking into you eyes. Do you feel the way Peter does? What does Jesus whisper to you?
Jesus wants to GIVE YOU the rest and refreshment you long for and need.

Jesus wants to gently, lovingly brush the dirt off your feet. He wants to take all the dirt from the brokenness of life we pick up – the stress of expectations, the brokenness we carry on our backs, our doubts and fears

Jesus wants it all, so he can touch those painful, tired, weary places with His love.

But, you have to make the choice to let Jesus love you. You have to sit down. You have to stop. You have to rest.

3. Do something restful and refreshing to you and allow Jesus to wash your feet. What does that mean?

For our Soul Care Lent, this is what it means to let Jesus wash your feet:

Take time to rest

Take time to refresh

Do something that gives you peace

Do something that makes you feel love

Enjoy something that makes you feel comforted.

What is one thing loving and restful to you that you can enjoy today? Imagine Jesus loving you, as He is doing it with you. For he is.

Pull up a chair. Share on the blog.

Pull up a chair. Share whatever God has touched your heart in this reflection. Click here to share a comment on the blog.

If you’re in the FB Group:

Share your comment in the facebook group here.

Share with friends and your small group!

?Do you know a friend who would love some rest and refreshment? Share this blog post with her. And you can read Whispers of Rest together! I’m doing Lent Soul Care Retreat free as a gift to our community. Let’s get as many women on this journey!

Remember to follow me on Instagram and Facebook. I’ll cheer you on!

photo credit: kelly ishmael