“So, what are you giving up for lent?” she asks me as we run on treadmills side by side.
“Well…”
And my mind takes me back to my childhood when lent meant no dessert for 40 days, and how good it all tasted on Easter Sunday, and how proud of myself I was for being so good and strong and not having any sweet for the whole time. And how happy baby Jesus must have been because I did it for Him.
And my mind takes me back to the days when I met Him for real, this Jesus who was not a baby anymore, and how my whole world was rocked and I saw for the first time that all of my attempts at doing good things for Him were ridiculously irrelevant because He did it all at the cross, and how I started to judge and mock the ways of men who traditionally do things like “lent” and “giving up something” for Jesus, and how I am free from all that, free, free, free! None of this matters any longer.
But years went by and I matured some, and this Jesus has become my intimate companion, and He kindly constantly questions my motives, and my thinking, and my strong opinion. He won’t be put in a box, this Jesus who has become my Lord.
And I’ve been thinking… maybe these Lent traditions aren’t all that bad. Not because they earn me Brownie points for giving up something, not because I owe it to Jesus, but because it’s good to be sobered and remember His suffering. And because my allegiance is to the One who gave up everything to call me His own, to present me to His Father perfect, unblemished, without a spot–a bride for whom He gave up His life.
And I’ve been thinking… maybe these Lent traditions are pretty much okay, because they can be used to remind me that in Him I can do all things, but only in Him, and no praise will come to me, but a great joy of being perfected in His presence.
And I’ve been thinking…maybe these Lent traditions are wonderful. Not because we give something up, not because we subtract from our lives for 40 days, but because by subtracting, we always add. We add more life. We add more joy. We add more life.
By subtracting, we add more Jesus.
Cultivating Thankfulness with Ann
#492 Enjoying a cold sunrise
#493 Worship music blasting through my house
Amen, Barbara! Amen! Beautifully written!
Very well done, thought provoking…thank you!
Inspiring! Thank you.
Yes! More and more and more of Him!
Great post! I too have had the same feelings toward lent and have found myself more drawn to it this year. I have never officially observed lent, but thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to connect more deeply with my Savior! Lent IS about adding!
Oh… I´ve been thinking this way lately, having the same feelings. Lovely post
Barbara…yes, its true. Lent is about adding while removing. This is a great post friend. Glad you shared it at WJIM. Have a blessed week.
Such a beautiful, thought provoking post! Stopping by from the Much Ado Monday link-up. Thanks for sharing and hope you have a great week!
very thoughtful and thought-provoking! Lent is a relatively new thought in my life. and i love hearing what others think about and do with it.
thanks so much for sharing your heart!
steph
Wonderful post! This is a great reminder about the true meaning behind Lent – that we don’t gain any brownie points with God for fasting or denying ourselves something, but we gain so much more!!! This is a wonderful season for growth and reflection… thank you so much for sharing! I shall be passing it along!!!
Let’s continue to celebrate Him together!
We did not practice Lent when I was growing up, and the church I now attend does follow tradition, but we are not asked to give up anything. On my own I am eating smaller portions and am feeling so much better. Thank you for sharing your wonderful thoughts about Lent, at “Tell Me a Story.”
Beautiful Barbara. Thanks for sharing with me.
Loved reading your thought on Lent. I agree!
My husband and I just had a discussion a few minutes ago about why we don’t observe Lent. We came to the conclusion that in giving up, we would gain more of God–dwelling on Him as opposed to any “works” that we might do. It goes with my words for 2013–Less (of me) and More (of God). What an important and thought provoking post you’ve written.
Love your words for 2013, Pamela!
“Jesus has become my intimate companion, and He kindly constantly questions my motives, and my thinking, and my strong opinion.” Looooove this!!
No, he won’t be put in a box, will he? I did not observe Lent growing up and now I cherish this season that calls me deeper. I wonder if that it what it’s about? Seeing with fresh new eyes? I wonder.
Thanks so much for sharing this on The Creative HomeAcre Hop! Hope to see you tomorrow on the next Creative HomeAcre hop!
http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/02/the-creative-homeacre-hop-4.html
Awesome article! Congratulations – you are one of my features this week at Inspire Me Monday at
Create With Joy
http://create-with-joy.com
Thank you, dear sister!
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