Thursday, February 14, 2013

WWJD - My Lenten Mantra


Last night, before bed, for some odd reason, I kept thinking of the little WWJD mini-signs I make and which I have around my home. Back in the 90s, I worked for 6 years on a government project and our document publishing group really didn't like a lot of faith-related items displayed in our cubicles.

It was a high-stress job, proofreading, writing, editing, and quality control of the thousands of pages of words. I asked a dear family friend to make me something small with the letters WWJD on it, so I could keep it in my cubicle. Within a day or so, she designed and made me a mini-sign with the letters in yarn stitched onto a plastic canvas grid. It was perfect. It was small. It was not obvious. Rarely did anyone even notice it.

But I, my friends, I noticed it. Every day. And many times those letters saved my sanity and kept me from speaking words that might have made a stressful situation even more stressful.

That friend has been gone from this earth, now, for 4 years. A year ago, I looked at that mini-sign, now on a magnet on my fridge, and decided to try to make more. I was thrilled to find it was not beyond my limited plastic canvas skills. I've since made many. I've given away quite a few; I've sold quite a few. I love them.

Oh, and in my Etsy shop, when I sell them, I even made a verse to go with them - I print it on cardstock, like little business cards:

WWJD Mini-Signs
When you reach a point in daily life
Where your next step confuses you
Look at this little sign and ask,
"What Would Jesus Do?"

So, now, I have what I call my Lenten Mantra. Every day this Lenten season, I'll try to remember those letters and those words. I hope to do this many times throughout the day. Oh, I don't expect to become perfect because of it. But I do hope to become a little more peaceful, a little wiser, and a little less stressed, because of it.

Sweet Jesus, just thinking of those letters, and the words they initiate, will help me focus on you this Lenten season. You suffered much more than the Father asks most of us to do, yet you handled those situations far more calmly than I can imagine myself doing. Fill me with your peace and love each moment of each day, especially when I ask myself, "What would Jesus do?"  

No comments: