I think this is a very good question to begin with. There is a temptation for Ash Wednesday and even Lent to be another gimmick, another feel good exercise (though traditionally deprivation doesn't feel good, eh?). Sadly, we have a way of seeking quick fixes that revolve around shortcuts.
There are no shortcuts in this next forty days. There are no easy answers, no quick fixes. What am I looking for? Balance. It is a small word with grandiose meaning. What would it mean for my life to be more balanced between the spiritual and physical? The outward and the inward? The joyful and the sorrowful? Quiet solitude and noise? Listening and speaking?
What are you looking for? Are you willing to share? Dare we walk this walk together?
In a world filled with clutter, noise,
and hustle, Lent is a good excuse to step back and rethink how we think and
live. In a world of instant gratification, it’s a chance to practice
delayed gratification – to fast — so that we can truly appreciate the blessings
we have. In a world where virtual friends are replacing real ones, it is
an invitation to spend time with
real people again.
It’s an opportunity to
give up something that is sucking the life out of us so that we can be filled with
God, with life, and with love again.
I am going to "step out on a limb" here and say that I really don't need to fast to be aware of my blessings. In retrospect, we were blessed that my husband's cancer was what it was. I had a call from my sister in Florida yesterday who told me about a friend, who having had much radiation treatment for oral cancer, was now going to have surgery to replace his "dead" jawbone with a bone from his leg! Lord, have mercy! Remembering a very old friend, who, lame and almost blind lived to be 100 years old, taught "There is always something to be thankful for", I am hoping that oral cancer patient finds that "something". And then I recall the saying, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." and I wonder: what do people mean when they say that? --That the grace of God is not with that other person????? --Some rambling thoughts on this Ash Wednesday morning.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what I am looking for. Connection to God and to others, perhaps. But what today's meditation makes me think of is Psalm 46:10 - "Be still, and know that I am God!" The Hebrew word that is translated here in the command to be still can also mean to let go or release, or even surrender. If I am to know God, I need to let go, I need to surrender. I need to stop the constant activity, the constant chatter in my mind. I need to step back from the world for a time, to open myself, to listen. Perhaps this is what Lent is all about. Be still...
ReplyDeleteWhat I seek has always been with me: the presence of the Triune God in my life. But the past few years have put me in a reactive, not proactive, mode, and I feel almost drown in the everyday. I earnestly seek a more active relationship with God; a deeper appreciation for the blessings that Jesus' sacrifice bought; a fuller awareness of the work of the Holy Spirit with each breath. As Sophia said, I want to be still, and hear God.
ReplyDeleteI view Lent as an opportunity for me to refine my position with Christ. The psalm discusses the 'wisdom revealed secretly.' It has been my experience that this wisdom does offer peace of mind and a host of other things, yet it cannot be expressed easily or, for lack of better words, in a balanced and just way.
ReplyDeleteHe who has ears let him hear?
There are many solutions inherent in the quiet service of God, and the mystery of grace seems to be revealed when this service is practiced secretly. Christ's example of charity is the most ironic of all. 'Forgive them for they know not what they do.' What a radical plea! He had no sin.
We are along for the ride, building upon this stone. I hope that this Lent will reveal new laborers. Laborers in God's Kingdom, who will recall the temptation in the wilderness and consequently the spirit of God, which continues to reprove the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement.
It is inconvenient that the injustice of our generation is so great. Yet, it is what it is. Perhaps if we get the opportunity to make a spiritual deposit in some widow or orphan's account there may be a greater hope to leave less undone in the next generation? I seek this revelation, not for my sake, but for the sake of the community.
World without end...
Thank you, "Anonymous", for your post above. You have given much food for thought..... --Another "Anonymous".
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