It snuck up on me this year. Maybe you too?
Lent begins today. Happy Love Day, now let’s begin our journey towards the cross.
Lent is a season of the church calendar. It’s the 40 days (not counting Sundays) leading up to Easter and it’s typically a time where we look inward and practice self examination and repentance (and oftentimes fasting) as we look towards the cross, our need for Jesus and His resurrection.
I haven’t made you a Lent guide this year. But I do want to extend an invitation for a non-traditional Lent experience.
On Monday, I shared some reflecting I’ve been doing on loneliness and connection and asking good questions. And I invited you to join me in using the good questions God asked to dig into our own hearts and to use them to help us engage deeper connections with others.
This isn’t your typical Lent guide, but maybe it’s something God is inviting you to try for the season?
If you’re a paid subscriber, you can find the guide here (scroll to the bottom) and if you’re not ready to subscribe yet, you can buy the guide here for $6.
And if you’ve still got questions, I’m including the introduction from the guide here so you can read a bit more:
For months I’ve been thinking about the power of good questions. To get beneath the surface. To reflect on the deep down things. To take a relationship deeper. To be seen and known. To encourage reflection in another.
As a spiritual director, I’m trained as a listener and question asker. I have collected lists of good questions, questions that help us look carefully at life and wonder “where is God in all of this?” But I’ve begun to notice that in my regular, everyday life, I can be quicker to make a statement or share “wisdom” than ask a good question. And I’m often distracted enough to not listen well.
At a summer gathering with neighbors, I saw the power of a good question on display. The kids had access to a cooler of popsicles. One of my neighbors had noticed that her four-year-old son had made more visits to the popsicle cooler than one might consider ideal. Instead of scolding him or declaring in frustration “no more popsicles!” she called him over. In kindness, she bent down and asked a question: “how many popsicles do you think you've had tonight?” He thought for a moment and answered, “six.” She knew he probably had undershot his estimate, but he was able to reflect that it was still a lot.
My neighbor asked her child a question she probably already knew the answer to. But it felt like kindness. Rather than correct or scold or fight him, she encouraged his self reflection. And while we can’t always trust that a four-year-old (or 41 year old. *hand raised*) will reflect and respond with accuracy and wisdom, it was kind of her to let him try.
And it reminded me of God. God who knows and sees everything. And still asks us questions and encourages our self reflection and allows us to choose Him and His way or not. The Bible is full of good questions that God asks His people. I decided it might be worthwhile to learn from God, the best and kindest question asker out there. So I made a list of questions God asked in the pages of Scripture. And each day, using my imagination, I engaged the question in context, responded to it as though it was spoken directly to me, and then thought about how I might ask this question of others. And now, I’m sharing it with you. If it feels helpful, you can use this reflection guide as I did. To encounter God in His good questions, to reflect deeply and answer them yourself, and then use the ideas given to start good conversations with the people in your life.
One thing that quickly became confirmed for me is that God asks questions for our benefit, not His. He already knows. His questions feel like kindness. They encourage us to look inward. To deal with our own inner world. They allow us to choose. They invite depth of relationship as we share the deep parts of ourselves and are known. God doesn’t just tell or demand or scold or inform. He asks good questions.
So let’s respond. And let’s learn from Him as we connect with others.
It’s time for good questions.
Praying that this guide serves you and that you encounter the God who loves you as you make space in your schedules and your souls.
Some quick links:
Get the Good Question guide here.
If you are interested in spiritual direction you can check out some FAQ here.
If you’re ready to schedule a meeting, you can do so here. (Remember, first sessions are free for subscribers of spacemaking!)
If you’re interested in retreats, you can get more info here.
And may you encounter the God who loves you as you make space in your schedule and your soul!