Lent
This post is simply because I want to write everyday for Lent; sometimes here sometimes privately in my journal. I’m not catholic, and I feel that often broader Christianity doesn’t really do it justice by say, “abstaining from Facebook”… here’s what the BBC says Lent is about: “By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days.”
Woah, replicate Jesus Christ’s sacrifice? So not eating and then being tempted by the Devil in the three things central to most of Humanity’s sin? (“lust of eyes” (materialism), “lust of body” (hedonism) and “pride of life” (egoism). Feels a little like putting up a sandle castle in the face of a series of giant ocean waves.
Concurrently, a group of men and I have been reading through the book of Romans and it’s taken weeks to get through the first chapter. Why? Because Romans starts off showing others sin, that we are all susceptible to sin, and if we think we aren’t then we are sinning. This is actually encouraging to me, because it makes Grace so much more powerful. There’s a phrase repeated several times in Romans 1 — “God gave them over/gave them up…” to sinful desires etc and then they did it. Essentially God gave the people what they wanted — no feeling of guilt, of restraint etc. And if we’re honest, I don’t think we can say we haven’t wanted that at some point in our lives — to just not feel guilt when we indulge in the thirst for money, pride, THINGS. But for today, I choose to ignore past mistakes and focus on what I can do today…. live a life selflessly loving others, my family, doing my best work so that I may point others toward God.
And in closing a line of Relient K has been echoing in my head:
How many times
Can I push it aside
Is it time I befriended all the ghosts of all the things that haunt me most
So they leave me alone
Move on with my life
Be certain the steps of left and right don’t fight the direction of upright
I’d rather forget and not slow down
Than gather regret for the things I can’t change now
If I become what I can’t accept
Resurrect the saint from within the wretch
Pour over me and wash my hands of it
