Day 8 – March 12, 2025

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired. – Isaiah 40: 31 (CEV)  

 One way to encounter wilderness is to find one’s self in a confusing, isolating, unexpected scenario for which you have few resources or methods of navigation.  That is a perfect description of my Lenten season back in 2014.  

 My aging grandmother had fallen and broken every bone on one side of her body, leaving her non-weight-bearing for months. She was not quite herself after multiple surgeries and would forget that she was not able to just get up and move around as usual, so our family made a rotation of who would sit with her throughout the day and night to keep her safe.  We were completely clueless as to how to help her, if she would heal, what would be required of us, how to deal with insurance or red tape, and how to navigate a situation we had never experienced before. To top it all off, she was in excruciating pain, which made us all feel even more helpless.

 During one of the weekends of that Lenten season, I took a break to attend Huntsville High Theater’s Spring musical performance of Godspell. It was such a joy and a blessing to experience, especially in the lead-up to Easter that year, with so much hanging over our heads and hearts.  So often, the circumstances of my grandmother’s recovery left us coming up short with ideas on how to help her and Jesus’s story, as written in this unusual musical, was strangely comforting. 

 I felt such peace that afternoon, for the first time in weeks.  I cannot even define why, but a sense of ease washed over me during that show and prompted me to go home that evening and write a note of thanks to the cast, crew, and director for blessing me so in a moment where I felt so lost and far from God. I now know, with a little time and distance to better analyze the experience, that God was wrapping me in his care through the gifts and talents of others.

 That night I decided, instead of giving something up for Lent, I would add something.  I spent the next few weeks sitting in my grandmother’s room at Redstone Village writing 40 notes in the moments she didn’t need me.  I wrote to friends, pastors, classmates, and other people I admired – all just to thank them for making a difference in my life and wishing them well.  It was a bit threatening to be so exposed, but it was freeing in a way, too. 

 In this season of wilderness, I was ministered to by talented high school students, their director, and the people who helped make that production take place. Little did they know that their spring musical would result in soothing my soul and a sense of perspective that was desperately needed.  And, through that comfort, I was able to better serve my grandmother and to share my love with 40 others. 

 Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for unconventional experiences that fill our hearts right when we think we are empty.  Thank you that we can hit what we think is rock bottom and still find something deep down inside to pour out of us to magnify your glory. Amen.

Sarah Lauren Kattos