Monday, Mar 2

Scripture: Psalm 34:18 (NIV) – “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Message: I have always been an optimist, someone who sees the glass as half full. I try to understand circumstances, extend grace, and trust that God is at work even when life feels messy. But this Christmas was different.

For the first time in my 63 years, my Mom was not here.

When she died, I felt sadness, but not the deep ache I expected. My faith told me she was whole and healed, safely in the arms of Jesus. My head knew that truth, and I leaned on it.

Then Christmas came.

I planned to honor her by making some of her famous recipes for my children and grandchildren, believing food and tradition might pull us together. But life had changed. Families had grown. Needs were different.

One grandchild, autistic and nonverbal, does not do well with crowds and stayed home. Another child has a newborn and needed a quiet, early night. My third child, who lives with me, spent Christmas Eve with her 90-year-old grandmother who longed to see her.

No one did anything wrong. Everyone acted out of love.

Still, my plans fell apart – and so did I. I cried not just for my Mom, but for the way life keeps moving forward. I mourned traditions that couldn’t be recreated and the realization that what once was had shifted.

Lent invites us into sacred honesty. It reminds us that knowing truth and feeling grief can live side by side. Jesus wept, even knowing resurrection was coming.

My head knows my Mom is with Jesus. My head knows my children love me. But my heart needed time to grieve – and God met me there.

Perhaps that is part of Lent’s gift: permission to sit with sorrow and trust that God is especially close when we are broken.

Prayer: Lord, in this Lenten season, be near when my heart is heavy. Help me sit with my grief and brokenness. Help me to trust You in the quiet, and receive Your comfort as You lead me toward hope. Amen.

Kitty Kovic - 2 OF 2