Lent: Prayerful and Intentional

A sloth moves slowly on a branch,

I want mesmerized.

At first I wonder 

How can this creature stand it.

A snail could come whizzing past,

And the sloth would say, "Slow down."

In a world where life is supposed to move 

At a frenzied pace,

Fast pace,

Wake up, feet hit the ground, already behind pace.

At a blur pace.

How can this part of God's good creation proceed at that pace?

I would crawl out of my skin.

Slowly, as a I watch, I start to wonder if I am the one who is mistaken.

A sloth is not a creature to be pitied, but praised.

Not a creature to be associated with a sin,

But one who might show us another way to life.

A sloth moves intentionally...

Aware, awake to what is around.

A sloth moves intentionally...

What is the next right move.

Not five moves down the road.

But trusting that to move there is what is right.

Once there, we might know what the next right move is after that.

But only...only once we have arrived.

A sloth knows how to be here...rather than there.

A sloth knows how to be intentional.

I pray this Lent, I might learn from that wisdom.

Amen.