Don't Give Up Chocolate for Lent!
My 55th
birthday is in March. Which means I’ve been planning the festivities since
January. Do you know what else I’m planning for in March?
Lent! I love Lent!
While some will
spend Wednesday, March 1st nursing the aftereffects of Mardi Gras, I
will head to Mass at 8 a.m. for Ash Wednesday and the beginning of my forty-day
journey toward Easter.
Like my March
birthday, I’ve been thinking about Lent for weeks. I can’t wait to get started
and to share the Lenten journey with you.
You might ask why
I’m talking about Lent today when it doesn’t begin until Wednesday? Well, like
my birthday, important events should be planned for in advance.
I don’t want you
to reach the beginning of Lent and be caught by surprise. I don’t want you to
make some lame pronouncement like, “Well, I guess I’ll give up chocolate again
this year,” without thinking about the true meaning and value of Lent.
Lent is not a diet
plan.
Lent was not
thought up by the Seafood Council of America.
Lent is not a
conspiracy to force you to go to church more than once a week for no reason, so
that you end up resenting church so much by Easter, that you don’t darken the
door again until Christmas Eve.
When I was in my
thirties I had a best friend, such a kindred spirit that we were like sisters.
We had a standing Saturday evening itinerary that consisted of a sushi dinner,
then coffee at the bookstore, and finally shoe shopping. Every week. Our conversations
were always the same and we knew exactly what to say to make the other one
laugh. It was lovely.
But, as these
things happen, over the years we moved to different parts of the country and
lost touch. Oh, we’d reconnect from time to time, but it was never quite the
same.
I believe our
relationship with Jesus can feel a lot like this.
In our hearts, we
know we love Jesus, but things get in the way. We rush to get out the door in
the morning. Then spend the day running from one appointment to another. By the
time we get home, we’re so tired we’re lucky if we eat dinner in front of the
television and then stumble back to bed to begin the entire cycle six hours
later.
And as with that
friend we promise to call, but never do, our relationship with God becomes a
fond memory.
I like to believe
that God provided Lent to give us a chance to re-connect with our real best
friend, God himself. Which is why I want us to think about the next forty days
in a new way.
Instead of giving
up something for Lent, join me in leaning in for Lent. Let’s spend the next
forty days pursuing our most important relationship, the one we have with God
through his son, Jesus Christ. Let’s approach it in the same way we would if we
were re-kindling a relationship with a long-lost friend.
Where to start?
Instead of picking
up the phone, speak out loud with God. Share what’s on your heart. Don’t worry
about saying the wrong thing, God welcomes your honesty.
If you want a
model to follow, try the outline of the Lord’s prayer:
1.
Give thanks to God for everything in your life
and for your heavenly father.
2.
Ask for your needs, your daily bread.
3.
Ask God to forgive your shortcomings, just as
you forgive others in your life.
4.
Pray that God will keep you safe as you go
through the world.
5.
Finish by thanking God again and acknowledging
that his is the power, the glory, and honor, forever. Amen!
If you believe
that spending five minutes with God each morning can’t make a difference, try
it for the next 40 days and see what happens. Imagine how happy you would feel
if you received a phone call every morning from someone you loved, for no
reason, except they wanted to say hello and wish you a good day. That’s a
glimpse of how wonderful your brief prayer feels to God.
Let’s start right here.
Let’s journey with Jesus for the next forty days. Let’s see ourselves walking
toward God, toward a closer relationship that will change our lives forever.
Let’s start now.
During the coming
weeks of Lent, I will share my Lenten journey to a closer relationship with
God. I hope you will share yours, too. Write to me, tell me how it’s going.
As for my big 55th
birthday celebration? I’m heading home to Florida, borrowing a friend’s beach
condo, and spending a week with Mom. Sounds perfect.
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