Sunday, February 15, 2015

Lent

Easter seems early this year. 😄

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent, which is a forty-day season many Christians use to prepare/renew their hearts for Christ. 

Traditionally people remove something from their lives (fast) and/or add something as a daily reminder to sharpen their focus on the True meaning of life (the Gospel of relationship and renewal). 

Giving up something (soda, chocolate, TV, unforgiveness, gossip, harsh words, or whatever piece of this world that may be taking up too much room in your heart) also helps people remember what Christ gave up so that we can have eternal life and be reconciled to Him.  (It could also reveal a 'serving two maters' mentality in your own heart.  Ouch! 😣. Sometimes this world is very comfortable and enticing!  Just the mental evaluation of what you could and could NOT live without for forty days can be revealing.)

Adding something (prayer, meditation, Bible reading, study, charity work, or even more vegetables, water, or exercise) for this time can help begin a lifelong devotion of welcoming the good of the Lord into the routine of life. 

I know some Christians reject observing Lent because of its Catholic origin or legalistic look. I'd like to encourage you to look at the practice with an open heart and mind. Look at your own life with honesty to see if you could use any excuse to come together with other believers for a period of time to remove the secular, invite the holy and submit yourself more consistently to the transforming love of the Spirit. Would observing Lent cause you harm?  Would it draw you closer to God Who loves you so unfathomably?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for taking the time to talk with me!