Today, I will share an embarrassing story that I'm sure many of you can relate to. I want to start by saying, "I know I should not have done that." Here goes. My daughter and I were shopping at a large department store. We were going to check out the sales on the lower level. The minute we got on the escalator, something caught my eye. I turned to my daughter while pointing and said, "Look, we have to go back up." My daughter quickly turned around and easily went up the down escalator. Unfortunately, I did not. My shoe hit the edge of the moving stair, and my balance was completely thrown off. I tried to regain my balance, but I couldn't recover. I fell to my knees, praying that no one had seen that.
My daughter quickly stepped back on the escalator to check on me. Once I confirmed that I was more humiliated than hurt, she said, "I don't mean to laugh, Mom, but you looked hilarious!" I cringed with embarrassment.
Did I know better? I sure did. So, what possessed me to do it anyways? It was something I had done plenty of times in the past, I didn't think it was a big deal. But the throbbing bump on my knee told a different story. This incident was a wake-up call, a reminder that even seemingly harmless actions can have consequences.
Ash Wednesday is just a few days away. Lent is the perfect time to look at what habits are throwing us off balance. Bad habits usually start small and harmless, and we easily shrug them off as not a big deal. But little by little, a bad habit can tip the scale in the opposite direction, and suddenly, we have trouble juggling everything. Sometimes, it's our prayer life that ends up falling off. This Lent, let's use this time for self-reflection and address these habits before they disrupt our spiritual life.
Before Ash Wednesday, take a look at your prayer life. Have you let any new habits steal your time with God? It can be embarrassing to admit what excuses we give for not praying. Lent is the perfect time to reach out and grab a hold of God's hand before you lose your balance and fall.
-Susan
