Lent Archives - Kristin Saatzer

A Time of Release and Resurrection

April 7, 2023 By Kristin Saatzer Leave a Comment

Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. For I am about to do something new.

Isaiah 43:19

The Lenten season is coming to an end. The cross stands tall as we gaze at our Savior, who died and rose again so that we can live. The gift He offers is one of freedom, a life of loosening our grip on what pulls us down. A life of new beginnings and fresh, resurrected faith!

Release (synonyms): discharge, liberation, let go

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

John 8:36

There are quite a few things that I need to release – like control and worry and trying to figure things out. And yes, Facebook is one of the activities I need to decrease; the hold has been too tight lately.

Is anything holding you too tightly? It could be something physical like food. How about a habit? Perhaps it’s social media or that late-night sugar binge. Maybe unnecessary obligations? Shame or regret or unforgiveness? A toxic relationship?

His heart for us is freedom and the cross is the place to lay down what is holding us down.

What must you release to bring more of God into your life? Like me, you probably already know, but I encourage you to sit in prayer and ask God what needs to go. In Him, we have been set free!

Resurrection (synonyms): restart, revitalize, resuscitate, revive

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

After release comes resurrection.Continue Reading

A Time to Remember and Reflect

April 4, 2023 By Kristin Saatzer Leave a Comment

I found myself in unbearable emotional pain a few years ago. A pit so low that I felt abandoned by God. He seemed remote, as if He did not hear or even want to hear me. I questioned His love for me, and I questioned His faithfulness.

In response to these dark feelings, I decided to focus on what I knew as truth. So, I pulled out my journal and listed the ways He had been faithful to me. As I wrote, page after page of remembrances poured from my pen. This exercise was a beautiful reminder that if He came through for me in the past, He would do so again. It was quite healing and required a large lump of tissues.

Anytime is the right time to focus on His faithfulness to us. Yet, the Lenten season and this week leading up to Easter are particularly timely for this exercise as we look towards the cross and the ultimate act of love the Savior demonstrated for us.

I encourage you to take some time this week to remember. Just write. Start from the beginning of your life or wherever you feel led.

Questions for remembrance:

What has He done in your life? How has He provided for you? How has He healed you? Who has He brought into your life to encourage you? How have His plans been so much better than yours? How has He comforted you? How has He protected you? Brought you joy? Where has He met you in your broken places?

In times of great joy, the deepest pain, and everything in between, I reflect on the word of God and find encouragement there. I have many favorite Bible verses written on cards, in my journal, or circled in my bible. Remembering and reflecting are similar but can be different spiritual exercises.

Thoughts for reflection:

What is His purpose for you? Think of verses that speak to you and ask yourself why? Reflect on how you can incorporate more of God in your life. Reflect on Christ’s words in this Holy Week. Think about what may be taking the place of Him in your heart.

As we look towards the cross, let us practice practical ways to fill our souls with more of God this Easter week by reflecting and remembering.

Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.

Deuteronomy 4:9

A Time to Rest and Refuel

March 21, 2023 By Kristin Saatzer 2 Comments

Lent looks different for me each year, but I always find my way to rest. Rest from the pressures of life, from social media, sugar, rest from my to-do list.

Sabbath. A beautiful word in the Jewish/Christian tradition from the Hebrew word Shabbat, which means to stop.

The Lenten season points us to the cross, a time to bring more of God into our hearts and minds. A season for our souls to pause for breath and catch up with our bodies. A beautiful break to refuel for the future.

It sounds lovely, doesn’t it? But of course, it will only come about if we put the brakes on our schedules, take some things off the calendar, say no to commitments, and intentionally make space for it to happen.

Purposeful rest requires purposeful action and intention.

After taking things off the plate, we can ask what fills my soul? For me, it is getting outside with a book, walking in nature, and laughing with my family. A Sunday afternoon with nothing scheduled. A morning without the alarm ringing. Beautiful moments in life to savor and cherish.

A Time to Reset and Refocus

March 13, 2023 By Kristin Saatzer 4 Comments

I didn’t notice until I did.

At some point, I had jumped back on the pre-pandemic hamster wheel. I tried to jump off but couldn’t keep up with the demands and commitments that got the wheel going to begin with. So, I’m back on again but working to slow it down.

It has been a wild three years, hasn’t it? So many of us have leaped into life as we knew it without intentionally thinking about how we want our life to go. There were valuable lessons in the time of the Corona crazies when life was slow, and we had no choice but to stop. The lessons I learned then are ones I don’t want to sacrifice at the altar of the busy world and its demands.

So, I am taking time to reset and refocus this year and this Lenten season. One way to do this is through quiet and solitude.

When we read the gospels, we notice Jesus often took time alone to pray and get quiet. A time to reset away from the crowds and the noise. A break from the bustle that came with His ministry and the criticisms of those who set out to cause Him to stumble.Continue Reading