The start of the Lenten season has given me much to contemplate. It is a season for evaluating the heart, of repentance, of waiting.
If you havent thought much about Lent before, or think its just a time to start your diet, check out this blog post by Craig Higgins, entitled, "Keeping Lent Holy":
http://www.pcaconversations.org/2009/03/on-keeping-a-holy-lent-part-1/
Here's a short excerpt:
"Lent, therefore, is a time for focusing on the heart, a time for asking questions about our spiritual health:
· What are my characteristic sins, and how can I work and pray for change?
· What idols have captured my imagination so that my love for the living God has grown cold?
· In what ways is my devotion to Christ and his church less than wholehearted?
The Lenten season is the spiritual equivalent of an annual physical exam; it’s a time to take stock of our lives, our hearts.
Keeping Lent, however, is potentially dangerous, precisely because of this focus on the heart. After all, it is much easier to read a book on prayer than to spend time leisurely speaking with our heavenly Father. It is much easier to fast from certain foods than it is to turn from idols of the heart. It is much easier to write a check than to spend time in ministries of mercy. Consequently, Lent is easily trivialized. The point of Lent is not to give up chocolate; it’s to give up sin! Even with this warning, however, we need to beware of going from one extreme to the other."
As I have started to take stock, I've had to admit how much of my time and devotion is given to being productive. I worship my lists and what I can check off. And I consider myself a failure when the list gets too long or the day ends with few things accounted for. My idol of productivity gets in the way of relationships, with people and my heavenly Father. Being fully present and resting become more difficult when my lists are my priority.
So, this year I'm giving up my lists for lent. It might sound pathetically easily, but for me, it has the potential to cause a major anxiety attack. While checking my email earlier, I almost became paralyzed when I realized how much I wanted to make a to-do list for the week. Im not sure how I will function to be honest.
I guess I'll have to trust Him. Fully. And that is the point.
(This post is part of Grace-laced Mondays. Click below to join in!)
4 comments:
Great post. You did a great job of focusing on the true intent of Lent, and finding out exactly what was the best thing for you to focus on to make it really count! Good luck. I'd be paralyzed without my Things To Do List too...no matter that I posted about not being a slave to it a couple of weeks ago and still haven't made that stick. :(
It's amazing what things can become our idols! So good to take stock and reevaluate what's truly of importance in our lives. You've given me some great insight into Lent, as it is not something my denomination has focused on. Thank you for sharing.
"The point of Lent is not to give up chocolate; it’s to give up sin!" YES!!! AMEN! I so appreciate you posting on this, and giving grace and balance to this season.
This was good for me to read, Jen! I'm fallen away from lists in the past few years for whatever reason, but I still become consumed with productivity and "doing". Will be prying for a grace filled Lent for all of us.
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