“Well, I think I’m going to make it, ” my grannie said to me from her hospital bed in the ICU. She squeezed my hand and smiled at me.
“Your hand is warm today, ” I said, smiling back. “God may not be finished with you yet.”
My mom agreed with me as we stood around Grannie, holding her hands, offering our presence and love.
“Who knows? Maybe you will be better in time to celebrate Easter with us!” I said, renewed hope in my voice. Just this past Monday? I believe, I had been discussing possible Easter plans with Momma, which were to include Grannie. We had talked about homemade carrot cake, and possibly a lemon cake as well. I was imagining time outside and watching the boys enjoy a gift or two, if I could think of something meaningful to get them this year.
“When is Easter? ” Grannie asked.
“In two weeks!” I said.
“Already?” Grannie replied, emotion filling her voice and her eyes. “Two weeks?”
Momma nodded, “Yes, this year has just been flying by.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be out of the hospital by that time,” Grannie worried.
“It’s okay, ” I replied, “If not, we will just have to bring Easter to you.”
Grannie rested her head back on her pillow, satisfied. We squeezed hands again. I smiled, making plans for a possible evening celebrating Jesus’ resurrection with her, wherever she was. Jesus, who was answering prayers and healing my grannie in front of our eyes, when just Thursday, she had minutes to live. Jesus, who still works miracles in 2026.
Easter can have a way of sneaking up on a person if we aren’t intentionally preparing for it. That’s why I love the season of Lent. Lent helps us to create margin–to make space for what’s important. It isn’t about giving up things–rather, it’s about focusing on what is important. For me this year, it has been taking a step back from social media. I sometimes get caught up in what other people are doing, and before I know it, I’m playing the comparison game and feeling down on myself. It’s also easy to scroll on Tiktok and before you know it, an hour has gone by. Ugh–an hour that I could have been spending in a more meaningful way.
I’ve now been off of social media for a month–. I have randomly checked my notifications, caught myself scrolling for a few minutes, but I have found that out of my profound resolve, it’s a relief to sign out, and say to myself, “Not now.”
Lent is about intention. Intention on getting to know Jesus. To spend more meaningful time seeking to know the One who died for us. On my mornings at home, I’ve loved getting to read out of Ann Voscamp’s new bood, Loved to Life. I subscribed to Ann’s Living Loved Lenten Experience this year and have enjoyed posting her identity cards up in my dining room each day. I’ve also been working on memorizing 1 Corinthians 13, mostly when I’m washing the dishes after supper. Prayer in the bathtub has become a habit, as I’m not scrolling on Facebook or Instagram like I was prone to do before Lent.
Through this time, I’ve been reminded of how I love to write and create things. God created each of us with gifts and talents. I’ve allowed mine to be squashed and pushed to the side, as many mothers do who are exhausted and overwhelmed with daily struggles and constant demands amidst the juggling of work schedules and homeschool routines.
Lent has created pockets of margin for me as I have found that many of my spare minutes were previously spent scrolling on my phone. I believe that the Lord began speaking to me as I began to think about how I used to blog for a time. Dreamed of being a writer, an author. I realized that I had time to jot down thoughts and journal again–even if only for a few minutes at a time.
So, here it is–Ordinary Under Grace–back with intention. Reborn through this season of Lent. Reborn through grief and loss–an attempt at recovering from that loss (story to come later).
My sons have also been recognizing this season, opting to only play their Nintendo Switch on Saturday. Where there is resolve, there is also grace and long periods in the ICU waiting room call for grace. But as a whole, they have stuck to their resolve with meaning and intention.
I encourage you, as we are quickly approaching Holy Week, to take a step back and live with intention. To focus on the One who gave it all so that we might have it all. How are you living to love? This is a question that Ann Voscamp has been asking each Sunday during her Live Crowdcast sessions.
For me, learning to live loved means asking the question many of us 90s babies are familiar with, “WWJD?” or “What would Jesus do?” It isn’t too late to recognize Lent–it’s never too late to begin the journey, the pilgrimage, of seeking Jesus.
Curious about the study I have been doing? Check the reference below to see!
Reference:
Ordinary Under Grace 
Leave a comment