Day by day... See thee more clearly... Lenten meditation

Day by Day, dear Lord, of thee three things I pray. To see the more clearly; to love thee more dearly; to follow thee more nearly. Day by day. This morning I meditated in the garden with my camera.

One of the guys in my Wednesday men's group is following the "Daniel Fast" for Lent. Chris said that he felt more astute, spiritually, and it is as if he can apprehend God in his life with greater clarity.

It's not hunger or food deprivation (because my friend is enjoying a balanced diet) so much as it is a moving aside of distraction. It's as if over-indulgence creates a spiritual lethargy, a kind of torpid sensory dulling, a masking of the work of the Spirit.

I have noted before how my more meditative posture each morning is releasing a newly honed, finely tuned interface with the world around me. I may be in my mid-fifties but I'm seeing in HD for the first time, hearing in digital high-fidelity, engaging matters of the heart with greater sensitivity and openness. It's more of a four-dimensional take on the world. I guess I have eyes to see that really weren't that well tuned before, and a listening heart that is finding a clearer channel.

Anyway, I took a few photographs before the sun crested the rise behind our house to the East. It was a drink-it-all-in morning today, replete with freshness and expectation and promise. I'm not fasting so much as feasting. I'm not following a physical fast that would qualify me to raise my hand in church next time Rebekah asks the question... But I do believe I'm right there in terms of clarity of vision.

Peace - DEREK

Pictures:
- African Iris - (we have literally hundreds in bloom right now)
- Easter Lilly - (They seem to want to bloom in unison)
- the fence  and the golf course behind our house