Two months ago, we were celebrating the birth of Christ and
now we are about to enter that somber season of Lent as we journey towards his
death and resurrection in Jerusalem. Depending on who you listen to, his
ministry lasted anywhere from 1-3 years and, yet, we can only deal with it for a
few months…but I digress…
Lent is such a strange season to me. Growing up in South
Texas, in a region with a strong Catholic influence, Lent was the time of year
when my friends gave up Cokes, chips, and chocolate, along with meat on
Fridays. I do remember, with fondness, the cheese enchiladas our school
cafeterias served every Friday. But this whole “giving up” concept was strange
to me.
It would be later, when I got older, that I would begin to
see the benefit of this “giving up” concept. Eventually, I came to understand
that, by giving up something you enjoyed, something that was at least
marginally painful to give up, the sensation of desiring the forbidden was an
invitation to recall the sacrifice of Christ and thereby stand in some kind of
solidarity with him. For those of us who struggle with self-denial, this can be
a good thing…to a point.
Then, I discovered that there are loopholes! Sundays,
apparently, don’t count during Lent. Sundays, on this side of the cross, are
always celebrated as “little Easters” – that is, days for recalling the
resurrection of Christ. Days of joy not to be messed with by doing without that
heavenly bit of dark chocolate. In other words, on Sundays, you can gorge or
fill yourself on whatever it was you gave up during the previous six days of
the week.
I have to say, as I think this through, this sounds more
like a game than any kind of intentional effort towards becoming more…well, more.
I’m old enough now that I’m not so interested in these kinds of games. I get
that there are no special rewards for having suffered through 40 days without
Godiva. Or whatever. I get that most of us won’t be adamant that our suffering
during this time be included in our obituaries or engraved on our tombstone. So what is the point?
That’s a really personal question. I don’t know where you
are in the story of your life, so I can’t answer for you. Is your relationship with
God everything you expect it to be? Is there this sense of something missing
deep within? Are you so caught up in just trying to breathe that Lent can come and
go without you? Lots of ways you may respond to this…so, no, I don’t have YOUR
answer.
For me? I’m at a place in my life where I want to add more,
rather than take away. No, that isn’t a cop-out so I don’t have to do without
my chocolate or wine or whatever. Instead, for me, this season of Lent will be
geared towards living intentionally as a child of God. As much as I’d like to
fuss that we have to wait for a strange season on the Christian calendar, I won’t.
I’ll simply take advantage of this strange time and make a few additions to my
life. So…
I will commit to a daily blog (I’m sorry if this places you
in a position of whining over something else to read; feel free to skip it). I’m
looking at it as a way for me to be intentional about reflecting on what it
means for me to live as a child of God…including the ways I fail and fall
short. It’s an adding in rather than a taking away, one that I hope will lead
me deeper in my relationship with God and, in turn, deepen in my relationship
with each of you.
Pray for me. Encourage me. Hold me accountable.
If you have determined your focus for Lent, let me know and
I’ll do the same for you.
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