Times of Refreshing

"Repent therefore,

and turn to God

so that your sins may be wiped away,

so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."

--Acts 3:19

Repentance

has always seemed like such a dismal affair

It goes against the grain

for me to admit the sin within

Acknowledging those broken places in me

is discouraging

disappointing

embarassing

But these words from Acts

bring a fresh new light

to the dark places in my soul

Confession

A turning towards God

has a purpose

First,

my sins

are washed away

blotted out

my soul cleansed

That's a gift--

His free and lavish gift

in and of itself!!

But

my God takes this another step further--

"so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."

It's now April 

Each day brings me closer

to the end of Lent

and the celebration of Easter

And

 "times of refreshing"

are becoming more and more

a part of my moments--

as I shed long held patterns

as chains are being loosed

as sin is being wiped away

The darkness of this Lenten journey

is giving way to 

His divine refreshment

Sigh

I want to drink this in