Lent 2022: It’s not too late…

Natasha Babwah-Tim Kee shares her thoughts and reflections for the Lenten season

Faith and trust are one in the same. “Faith is inseparable from trust; it is the confidence that God can and will do what He says in His Word”.

I sometimes joke to my friends that I’ve turned into my grandmother and I’m loving it. I credit my maternal grandmother for introducing me to my faith, the Church and inadvertently or not, to Music Ministry.

God always has a plan for us, and He made me a singer, a gift I get to use in church from childhood. I always remember the tightly packed church, men and women decked to the hilt, singing, and praising God unabashedly.

All the pomp and ceremony excited me very much and so it wasn’t long before I became a member of the choir, sometime around age nine.

Throughout the turbulent teen years, God was never far from my mind and although my attendance at Mass dipped to an all-time low during late adolescence, His voice never left me.

It was in my early twenties when I instinctively moved towards God and chose to put total trust in Him.

Only after leaving home and starting a family did I realise how much I needed God. Nothing and no-one else could fill the void of whatever was missing in my life. I was beginning to see that He was the only one who could give me the life that I wanted.

So, I became more deliberate with my spiritual life. Paying more attention to and learning about the Mass. Listening more attentively to the readings and to Father’s homily.

Reading about Jesus’ life and building my relationship with God. Finding times throughout my day to be in communion with Him through prayer and meditation and practising gratitude for all things big and small.

The storms still came but they didn’t seem so scary anymore with God at my side.

Over time, my anxiety decreased, and life became more peaceful and fulfilling, while my love for God grew deeper and deeper.

People all around the world are facing difficult times. Worry and anxiety, outdated systems, rampant corruption, division, and ignorance have gripped many societies and have left people feeling alone and afraid.

Still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, many are overwhelmed by tremendous loss of finances, homes, marriages, family members and even one’s own dignity. Life has become so overwhelming that people have lost trust in everything that is supposed to protect us.

Today, God wants to let you know that you can trust Him wholeheartedly. That you are never alone, and He is always with you. If you take the time to listen for His voice, you will hear Him tell you not to be afraid, not to worry, that all your needs will be met and that you will want for nothing.

He not only promises food for the journey but that a banquet will be prepared for you! He promises to love you and restore you and to transform you into the person of your dreams and give you a future full of hope. Only God can do that!

Provide you with the peace and pure love that your heart desires. Assures that no harm will come to you if seek His protection. Comfort you and bless your life for all eternity.

Your Father in Heaven is a God who will wait as long as it takes for you to come to Him. He continues to beckon to you in your darkest hour and your only job is to trust Him and wait for the transformation to take place.

So, if you’ve been walking through a difficult season, allow God to come into your heart. Nothing ventured is nothing gained, and the alternative doesn’t come close to what Jesus promises.

God is our natural environment. The evidence is all around us in the wonder and beauty of the physical world: all species of animal and plant and we who are made in His image and likeness.

Take up the challenge this Lent. It’s not too late. Reconcile yourself to God, submit it ALL to Him then sit back and watch Him work miracles in your life.

Natasha Babwah-Tim Kee is a widow, mother, singer, songwriter, music minister, educator, animal rescuer and activist who loves God more than anything in this world and is on a mission to do her part in protecting the earth and all of its inhabitants.