Repairing the Road Within
by Pastor Krista Price
Week of January 19, 2026
As I’ve been driving back and forth to the church lately, I’ve noticed something that feels especially familiar this time of year in Indiana: potholes. They seem to come out of nowhere. What starts as a small crack in the pavement quickly grows larger with traffic, cold temperatures, and time. Before long, drivers are swerving to avoid them, and road crews are out patching the damage—just enough to make the road usable until a more complete repair can happen.
That image has stayed with me because it feels like such an honest reflection of our spiritual lives. Little by little, the world chips away at us. Stress, disappointment, grief, busyness, and unmet expectations can slowly wear down our souls. At first, the damage feels manageable—easy to ignore. But when those small cracks go unattended, they can deepen into places of anger, apathy, resentment, or exhaustion. We find ourselves avoiding prayer, pulling away from community, or filling the emptiness with things that were never meant to heal us.
Jesus invites us to pay attention to those places before they grow too large. Lent gives us space to notice where our spirits have been worn thin and to bring those places honestly before God. This season isn’t about guilt or self-punishment. It’s about awareness, repair, and grace. Just as roads eventually need more than a quick patch, our hearts need more than temporary fixes. We need the steady, restoring presence of Christ to do the deeper work.
As we approach the season of Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 18, I invite you to reflect on your own journey. Where has the world been chipping away at you lately? What cracks are forming beneath the surface? Lent is an opportunity to stop, to pray, and to allow God to fill what has been emptied and strengthen what has been weakened.
You’re invited to join us on Ash Wednesday for ashes, communion, and prayer anytime between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. It’s a come-and-go time—no pressure, no long commitment—just an invitation to pause and meet Jesus right where you are. May this Lenten season be one of gentle repair, honest reflection, and renewed hope as we allow God to mend what time and life have worn down.
