In the midst of doom scrolling for updates about this weekend’s weather (in my part of Ontario, we’ve been warned for days that a rather catastrophic ice storm is set to rage all weekend. I’ve found myself caught between wanting to know the latest predictions, wanting to be prepared for a few days without power, and wanting to believe it’s just a lot of hype…I’ve been going back and forth between all three today!), I came across this:

It jarred me out of my doom scrolling and made me ask myself – why am I following Jesus? And the original poster’s reasons align pretty well with my own.

I might add that it is because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, that I know there is no limit to how far God will go to show his love for us.

From choosing to step out of eternity into finite time, into a body that would die, into a reality where he would be rejected, betrayed, despised, humiliated and tortured, to choosing ordinary people to take his mission to the world after his death – pretty much everything Jesus did was an expression of “God loves you, God wants to have relationship with you, God has a purpose for you.”

I’m a Christian because I find that compelling – to know that I was loved that deeply long before I was born. I’m a Christian because I want to do everything I can to make sure others know that they are that deeply loved, too. I am a Christian because remembering these things makes me a better, kinder, gentler, more generous person. And our world desperately needs kindness, gentleness and generosity right now.

As we continue to journey through Lent, may we all spend some time reflecting on what our faith means to us, and what kind of person it calls us to be.