“… And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

(Micah 6:8 NIV)

This verse was on the wall of a small, fledgling missional community that I was part of in my mid 20’s; we were reaching out to the people on an inner-city council estate in Sheffield. It was a constant reminder to us that we weren’t living
there for ourselves, but were called to serve our community, in ways that reflected God’s justice and forgiveness, with humility.

The preface of Micah 6:8 starts: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?” We can all choose to take time during the Lent season to prayerfully consider in what ways we might “act justly, love
mercy and walk humbly” with others so that Christ is revealed to them.

It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed when we read or watch the news, by the number of crises around the globe – the climate, refugees, political, housing, financial, fuel, food shortages, all reminding me that I am living in a world that is
full of injustices; those who have too much and those who haven’t enough to ensure they, their families and communities can thrive.

This Lent let’s ask ourselves these questions…

In seeking to act justly, whose voice do I need to listen to? Who feels that their cries are being overlooked? Who feels excluded or on the margins and needs me to create space for them to be included?

In seeking to love mercy, whose suffering do I need to notice and show compassion for? And who needs me to demonstrate God’s forgiveness to them? As I seek to walk humbly, how might I need to recognise who God has made me to be – no more, or less deserving of His love than anyone else?

For me, as part of my Lent reflection, I am asking myself how recognising that I am part of the 10% of the world consuming 90% of the earth’s resources, might challenge me to make small changes to reduce my carbon footprint
for the sake of my neighbours in the Southern Hemisphere who are impacted most by climate change. How might God be nudging you to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly” with Him this Easter?