The Journey into Lent…
The invitation to observe a Holy Lent according to the Book of Common Prayer includes “self-examination and repentance; prayer, fasting and self-denial; and reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.”
Until recent years I always thought of Lent as a time of darkness and denial. I was supposed to give up something I enjoyed to be reminded of Jesus’ suffering. While I think this understanding has plenty of merit, over the past few years I have begun to look at Lent in a slightly different light.
I have begun to see Lent as a time to step back and take a look at those things in my life that are hindering my relationship with God. There may indeed be something I need to “give up,” or there may be something I need to “take on.” One year I realized that the anger I was experiencing in relationship with a family member was hurting not only myself and my relationship with God but was hurting my entire family, so that Lent I focused on not responding in anger. Another year I realized that in my hectic life I was not spending enough time just sitting alone in the presence of God, so my Lenten discipline was to practice Centering Prayer each day.
Lent offers us the opportunity to step back and evaluate our lives. In what ways can we be more aware of God’s presence in our lives? In what ways can we nurture our relationship with God? Are there certain actions/ways of living that are putting barriers between us and God and our neighbors that we need to let go of?
Each person’s journey will be different, but we are all invited to embark on the journey – wherever it may lead.
May your journey be blessed!
Karen+
It is a I adore some of the articles which were written, and especially the comments posted! I will come back!