Lent

A friend pointed out that I never shared my Lenten commitments this year. I thought I had -- but it was obviously an intention rather than a occurrence. So here they are.

Lent is about discipline -- specifically spiritual discipline. We're supposed to use this period of time between Ash Wednesday and Resurrection Sunday (Easter) to cultivate a closer relationship with the Lord. Think about it -- DISCIPLE = discipline. See the relationship?

Some people give up things for Lent. This I've done. For instance, last year, I gave up carbonated beverages. That's easy, you may be saying. Well, a pox on you! It was NOT.EASY. I start my day with Diet Dr. Pepper the way most people do with coffee. Once the caffeine-withdrawal headache dissipated, I still had the constant absence of the taste. In fact, the taste was a bigger issue than the caffeine-addiction. I preferred the sweet (artificial though it was) carbonation with my meals. Sundays are not included in the 40 days of Lent, because each Sunday is a Resurrection Celebration. Technically, I could have indulged my craving on Sunday, but this still felt like cheating, so I did not. I learned a strong lesson about dependence and need, and got a reality check on my own personal "disciplined life."

On the other hand, some people add things for Lent. This is what I chose this year. I added

• an extra 30 minutes of prayer each day,


• blessing every meal, whether alone or with others, in public or in private, and


• sharing God's love with someone each and every day.

That thirty minutes may sound daunting. It did to me at first. I spend an hour in prayer, meditation and Bible study each morning. I added 10 minutes in the morning, 10 middle of the day, and 10 in the evening. If life events get me behind, I make it up in the evening. But I committed to not carrying over to the next day. Each day's commitment is to be met each day. This way, just like His mercies are new every morning, so is my commitment.

Blessing every meal may sound easy, too. Many of you may already do this, but I have not. Growing up, we blessed each dinner meal, but not breakfast or lunch. Shamefully, I must admit that my family is not as consistent with this as I feel we should be. I've used a statement from a professor at Samford as an excuse. He said that we are either living a lifestyle of gratitude towards God or not, a few words before a meal neither makes us more grateful to God, nor does its absence make us less. And yet, stopping to acknowledge that even the very food I eat I have because of God feels like the right thing to do. So far, almost alf way through Lent, this is the commitment which has challenged me the most. I forget, which is, in fact, causing me great guilt. . . and yet, the guilt is not helping my memory. I can only hope God is less disappointed in me than I am in myself.

Sharing God's love every day doesn't mean setting up a tent on the corner of Higway 431 to preach at the passersby. This commitment can be something as simple as a "God bless you" to someone, or even a smile. I've been making an effort to call people by name. I've been learning to do "Flash Prayers" [a Frank Laubach idea]. Having made this commitment, I've been surprised by how often, when you are open to it, God will accomodate you. I've had some wonderful moments, including opportunities to talk with "new friends" and several opportunities to pray with people -- right in public! In the restaurant, in the store, and even in the bank!

Whichever, or neither, that you chose, I hope your Lent is a wonderful experience in spiritual growth and discipline. [Oh! And you know I'm just kidding about that pox thing, right??]

Would you ever think Lent could be commercialized?? I didn't. How do you turn a period of discipline and denial into a marketing tool? And yet, it has happened. Here's a picture and link to the blog www.markroberts.com, where I found it. Read his whole post. It's worth it! He also has a great new set of posts concerning praying "in Jesus name."