Fifth Week of Lent

I think Hannah Salwen may be an angel. I recently heard about her and the amazing sacrifice she encouraged her family to make a few years ago. At the age of 14, she was inspired by something we have all seen... a homeless person on a street corner. Stopped at a traffic light with her father in downtown Atlanta, she also noticed a man driving a Mercedes... and was touched by the contrast. So touched that she wanted to do something... so she persuaded her family to sell their spacious home in Ansley Park and give away the proceeds. The Salwen family lives in a much smaller house now and they have scaled back their lifestyle considerably. What could have been only a random thought at a stop light is now a story of incredible generosity and it is all because a young teen cared enough to push her parents to make a difference.

Hannah's story reminds me of Mary... using the precious nard to wash Jesus' feet. This perfumed oil was extremely valuable, and as I recently learned, equal to a family's income for an entire year.

Mary and Hannah both felt a call to sacrifice something valuable for a higher purpose. For Mary, I think it was to show her devotion and faith in Jesus. For Hannah, it was to try to correct what she saw as an injustice in the world. Both stories are inspiring and both have me thinking about my own willingness to make a sacrifice for the greater good. And that is the beauty of Lent, it gives us a time each year to reflect and examine our priorities in life. I haven't made a decision about my own sacrifice for this year, but having read these stories, I realize I want to be more thoughtful in my approach.

The Power of Half by Hannah Salwen and her father, Kevin Salwen, has just been published. I plan to read it as part of my preparation for Lent this year.

I know I am not Hannah or Mary, but I hope to find my own humble approach using them as my inspiration. At the very least, they have made me think.

Jayne Gocken