This is definitely the most ‘off-the-cuff’ blog post that I’ve
published thus far… but I sense the need to write, particularly about Lent and
where we are at about a third of the way through, having flown through the two-and-a-half
weeks that have already passed since Ash Wednesday.
I was asked by someone last week: ‘How is your lent going?’
To which I replied: ‘Pretty good. Yeah, it’s going well.’ Which was true, but
upon reflecting a bit more on this question as the next few days went by, I realized
that my Lent is going okay, but that I’m
really not getting as much out of it as I want to, or probably should. This
unexpected reflection led me to take a step back and re-evaluate my Lenten
commitments (or lack thereof) and really contemplate what I am doing, what I should be doing, and how I can get more
out of this Lenten season. I decided that it’s never too late to make a change;
and that just because Lent is well underway already, does not mean that I can’t commit myself to something more, something
new, etc. to make the most out of the remaining weeks in this holy season.
To be honest, Lent is hard for me. I used to love Lent and
the time of sacrifice, prayer, & depth… it used to be something that I
actually looked forward to. However, after having experienced various
sufferings and sacrifices that caused me to feel as if my whole life had been
Lent for years on end, entering into a season of extra sacrifice and mortification has lost some of the grandeur it
once had for me. So for the past few years, I’ve had a difficult time anticipating
this season, preparing for it, and fully entering into it. One of the changes I’ve
decided to make at this one-third of the way through point, is to give up
Facebook for the remainder of Lent. I realized that the time I was spending
perusing through it was taking away from time for prayer, or even just
constructive time taking care of whatever else in life needs attention. I also
made some new commitments concerning my daily prayer, to try and cultivate a
more consistent and committed prayer life.
What about you? How is your
Lent going? What are you doing well, or what do you need to change or
recommit to in order to get more out of this holy season? Remember that it’s
never too late to change and never too late to begin again. Don’t settle for
thinking that you’ve already blown it and maybe next year will be better. We
are not guaranteed next year, but we ARE guaranteed the present moment. We are guaranteed
right now. What comes to mind right
now that Jesus is calling you to do in order to go deeper this Lent?