Lenten Devotionals

(For Lent, I have committed to writing a daily thought. Here's what I have so far. I'll be posting them daily here as well as on my Facebook page.)

Lenten Thoughts
Lent Day 1: Beginnings
From my devotional: Small moments of change fill our lives. In our world, even change is changing! Transforming opportunities come our way every day. Pregnant possibilities await us each new morning. The question becomes, Can we see them?

I was having trouble reading the words on the page. My most recent perscripted glasses had broken. The ear piece just broke right off. I went searching for the next oldest pair. I have to wait until March to have my eyes examined so that insurance will cover it. It's amazing how much smaller print has gotten over the past couple years. Is there an ink shortage causing us to write so small? But I digress...

My struggle made me think. Struggles are good for that. What else am I missing because I'm not adequately prepared? I'm going to use Lent like I use Advent: as a season for getting ready. I want to be ready to see Jesus.

Today I'm going to start reading Yancy's, "Finding God in Unexpected Places." I don't want to miss him!

Lent Day 2: Stories
We just finished up a series of lessons in our ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship) on Ruth. It was a wonderful quarter. The "joke" at the beginning was could the teacher stretch four chapters into an entire quarter. She did, and it was really good.

As we ended, the teacher asked us what we learned. I was mulling over some thoughts, but not quite ready to put them into words--here's what I was thinking:

People often talk about the "story" of Ruth. That got my mind running. What story will my life tell? I bet Thomas didn't get up one morning and hope that he would be known as "the doubting one", forever remembered as the skeptic. I think it's safe to assume that Annaias and Saphira weren't planning to be remembered as the ones who held out on God.

Ruth's story, like that of Paul and Peter, includes something I want my story to tell. Through much of the initial presentation of Ruth, she is referred to as "the Moabitess." Not a very positive reference, think racial slur times yuck. But that changes and that reference is dropped. Peter's name is changed from the wavering one to the rock and he comes through his three-fold denial of Jesus to restoration to dynamic spirit-filled preacher. Paul, the murderer, becomes writer of letters and builder of the church.

So what story am I writing and telling with my life? How do I want to be remembered? How about you? I hope mine is like David's or Moses'. They understood what is was like to mess up, but they never gave up their pursuit of God.

This Lent, I want to be more aware of God, and I want my life to more obviously show that I am seeking after him. When they tell your story, what will they say about you?

Lent Day 3: Pursuit
Aren't personalities amazingly interesting? I think they are. I have a friend (INFJ on MBTI) who feels the need, during Lent, to disconnect from Facebook to be able to better focus on God. It makes sense with his personality and I would encourage him in his choice--for him.

That would be death for me. Disconnection results in lack of accountability and lack of accountability results in hiddenness and too much can go wrong there: wrong thinking and wrong actions. If you don't see me, please hunt me down.

I'm glad the God I love and who loves me is a pursuer. In the Garden you find him hunting down Adam and Eve and asking where they are. He hunts down Moses in the desert. He pursues Peter to the rooftop. Jesus went to the well in the heat of the day to find the Samaritan woman. David describes God as the Hound of Heaven.

I'm thankful that this God who seeks us out, is also the God wants to be found. Jeremiah tells us that we will find him when we seek him with all our hearts. Paul picks up that thought in his Athenian sermon when he shares his experience with the very known God: he's closer than we imagine.

So this Lent you will find me here every day: sharing what I'm learning as I seek deeper connection with the God who loves me. I have committed to writing a note every morning, because it forces me to think on him, to pursue him and to stay connected with people.

Lent Day 4: Diet
Why do you diet? When I was younger, a certain number (whether it was clothing size or poundage) was the goal. I had a friend who was so tiny and I just wanted to be like that. Small equated with beautiful. Now, it’s not about size or number, it’s about health and the ability to keep up with my grandkids.

Why do you give things up during Lent? I’m following a devotional guide that was published for 2006. It makes the days off a little. Like today’s was about Shrove Tuesday. I learned a few things. For example, this was the day that those observant Christians would clear out the cupboards of the foods “not permitted” during lent. Those would include fat (hence the name Fat Tuesday), eggs, meat, and milk. It was the day of celebrating before the more solemn time of confession, reflection, and preparation to receive the joy of Easter.

There’s quite a stir in the baseball town near me. Opening day is Good Friday and good Christians who happen to be good Indian fans are in a quandary. How will they ever be able to enjoy a game without having a hot dog? Some have gone so far as to ask for special dispensation from the church. Isn’t that just like us?

We look at dieting as giving things up to get to a magical number, instead of what it is: our diet is what we eat—all the time and every day. We either have a healthy diet or an unhealthy one. And it’s all about the long run. Spiritually, we need to adopt the same understanding. A verse came to mind while I putting this together. It’s originally found in the Old Testament, and Jesus picks it up in his teachings. The Shema tells us we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Jesus adds that we are also to love our neighbor as our self. Now that’s a spiritual diet we can live with!

Imagine it. How would life look if every choice we made was determined by whether the outcome would move us closer to completely loving God? Not just during Lent, but when we’re on summer vacation, or whenever. And you might be getting ready to assure me that you do that already, and have done it since you became a believer. Be careful how you justify yourself, Jesus may call you to deeper service (see Luke 10).

So, how’s your diet going this Lenten season? What have you gained by filling up and focusing more lovingly on the one who loves you best and most?

Lent Day 5: Owning

For the moment, my husband and I are empty nesters. There are some things I really like about this and many things I miss. One of the things that I realized this morning that has changed is the ability to blame. For example, I was in the bathroom and just when I needed it most, I realized that I had forgotten to put a new roll of toilet paper on the roller. I had no one to blame but myself. I had to own up to the fact that in my haste I had forgotten to replace the roll my last trip in there.

Instinctively, right before I dug in the cupboard to retrieve a new roll, I raised my hand. Do you remember how we used to do that when we played basketball on the courts of our childhoods? When we committed a foul we would raise our hand signifying taking responsibility for the transgression: “I did it. It’s on me.”

You used to see the same thing in professional sports. Not so much anymore. No, nowadays more often than not when a foul is called by the referee the players go into some display of blaming others—even in the most obvious and flagrant of cases. Bottom line: people don’t accept responsibility.

This caused me to pause and reflect for a bit on the areas of my life where I have preferred to blame-shift spiritually. Over the years it’s been “easy” to point the finger at my parents or the fact we moved so often, and many other things. Enough already! I need to “man up” and accept responsibility for my own choices.

That’s what confession is. Confession is raising my hand in the sight of God and owning that what he has identified as sin, as foul, in my life is true. I’m thankful that when we do that, the Word promises: he is faithful and just and will forgive us of all our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That should free us from looking to blame and enable us to live more honestly!