Archive for March, 2011

Lent, besides being a nuisance to clothiers and excellent fire starting tender (oh wait, that would be lint with an “i” and tinder with an “i”), originated as a season of soul searching and repentance in preparation for Easter (that would be soul searching with an “I” and repentance with an “I”). During the forty days of Lent, many believers choose to abstain from some form of pleasure, believing that self-denial will facilitate spiritual focus and serve as a mild imitation of Jesus’ forty-day fast at the beginning of His earthly ministry.

I don’t know about you, but I came into Lent all gung-ho about engaging in the disciplines of this season. You may call me a masochist, but Lent really is one of my favorite times of year. Despite the fact that it always seems to sneak up on me, Lent is a season of attentiveness, of awareness, of being clear-eyed about ourselves and our world. Things I definitely need more of in my life.

When I was single I found that the state of my car provided a mirror to my life. When a hectic schedule reigned, the clutter and dust would accumulate, increasingly so as winter wore on. A couple of warm spring days would do wonders for both my car and my soul as the sun beckoned me outside to give them attention. Since I’ve been married, the car has not been mine to claim. We’re a single car couple, which is doable given Holland’s networks of bike paths and public transport, and the mirror has moved inside to my home

Despite its emphasis on abstinence, the faith tradition I grew up in taught me nothing about Lent. But I won’t be critical or hold anyone in contempt. From what I can gather, the same would’ve been true if I’d grown up in the early church.  Apparently the custom of spending forty days in self-denial and repentance in preparation for Easter wasn’t introduced until after the initial surge of Christian adrenalin waned and believers became lackadaisical about their faith.

It’s hard to believe that it’s March already. Time seems to have sped up somehow in 2011, or maybe it’s just that I’ve had a full calendar so far this year. Either way, I’m looking forward to this month’s Conversations blog theme as a way to slow me down, and remind me Whose calendar I’m truly meant to be ruled by.

Lent is all about abstinence—not doing things that prop us up.  If I don’t eat chocolate, what will I do for joy?  If I don’t talk too much, how will I be noticed? If I don’t shop, how will I feel?  They’re all about learning to be sweet when I don’t get what I want.

I attended a retreat shortly after I had just been diagnosed with cancer in my right kidney. When I asked God what needed healing the most he said, “Let go of your need to control.”

One of my favorite Christian vocalists is John Michael Talbot. One of songs I love the most is Holy Darkness. “Holy darkness, blessed night, heaven’s answer hidden from our sight.”

The forty day journey to Easter that Christ-followers make each year is called Lent, from the Old English word that means “lengthen.” The days are lengthening and our souls are invited to lengthen also. By that, I mean we are invited to journey from where we are to a more complete version of who God created us to be. We do that through the disciplines of Lent, which are fasting, almsgiving and prayer. Here are some suggestions on how to lengthen your soul this spring:

As winter begins to soften and Lent is upon us, my mind turns toward a funeral I recently attended.  I wonder if I might take this time to talk about the passing of one of the most beautiful humans I have known, Bill Vaswig.