Step #1: Lectio / ReadClick the link below or open your Bible to the passage and read through the reading at least once, paying attention to what is happening in the text. Step #2: Meditatio / MeditateUse the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again). Ever since I left for college 5 years ago, I have been living far away from home. The university I attended was about a 9 hour drive from my home. I didn't have a car until my junior year, so I was never able to go home often. But there was something so special about the times when I did go home. As a rebellious senior in high school, the idea of going to school so far from home really excited me. I wanted nothing more than to get away from my mom, my friends, and my home state. But within a few weeks of my freshman year, my heart ached for home. I loved my school, I loved the independence, but something inside me longed for the comfort of my home. Have you ever experienced that longing in your heart for home? Even when we wander away, there is always a little piece of us that seems to be missing. I now live 1,400 miles from my hometown, and as much as I love my job and where I live now, a part of me will always ache for home. We were made to be in relationship with God. Think about it... When God created Adam and Eve, He created them in His own Image and Likeness. He created them to be LIKE Him and to be in relationship with Him. And in the beginning, they were perfectly content to be in a relationship with Him. But just like I desired to leave home to be on my own in college, Adam and Eve left home. They turned their back on a relationship with the Lord, and because of this, they separated themselves from Him. The entire Bible is the story of God calling us back to Himself. Even though man turned his back on God, God NEVER turned His back on us, but rather He continuously strives to draw us back home to Him. Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God... Because I live so far from home, whenever I get the chance to go home, I am filled with so much joy. Home will always hold a special place in my heart, and there will always be something so beautiful about coming home. No matter how far we stray from the Lord, He is always calling us back to Him. He doesn't care what we have done or where we have strayed, all He wants is for us to turn back to Him with our whole hearts and run into His open arms. During this season of Lent, I encourage you to reflect on this idea of returning home. How is the Lord calling you to follow Him? What are those things you need to turn away from so that you can turn yourself entirely to the one who desires a loving relationship with you? Whenever you may feel shame or feel as if you have wandered too far from God, know that there is nothing you can do in your life to prohibit you from returning to the Lord. He is waiting for you, He has your name etched in His very hand, and He is calling you. Will you respond? Will you return home to Him? Step #3: Oratio / PrayThese questions are to be used to talk to God; have a conversation with the Lord about these questions and what is going on in your heart as you pray today. How is the Lord calling you to follow Him? What are those things you need to turn away from so that you can turn yourself entirely to the one who desires a loving relationship with you? Will you respond? Will you return home to Him? Step #4: Contemplatio / ContemplateIn this step, you listen. Stop talking, let God speak to your heart. You may repeat one of these short phrases to focus your mind on the Lord. "Return to the Lord." "My heart longs for you, Lord." "I give you my heart, Lord." Step #5: Actio / ActIn light of today's reading and your time spent in prayer with the Lord, what concrete action or actions will you take to let this encounter with the Lord bear fruit in you today? Think about what makes home a special place for you. Consider where God fits into your home and your heart. Take some time to go and dwell in the house of the Lord. Smartphone Lock ScreenThe following image is here for you to save and use as a background or lock screen on your smartphone or device to help you carry today's Lectio Divina with you the rest of the day.  Today's prayer was prepared by Sarah Freddino, a FOCUS Missionary at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL.
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