Lent 2011: Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
Posted by Lynn Wehner in Faith on Wednesday, March 09, 2011 12:30 PM
It’s Ash Wednesday. So of course I’ve decided what to “do” and “not do” for Lent 2011. Or so I thought.
All set. Got it covered. It’s gonna be great. Er, or not.
Every time I’ve turned around during the last 2 days, I’ve see another great post or I’m privy to another lively conversation in which people are saying, “Here are some ideas for enriching your Lenten journey.” It’s a tremendous blessing to have access to so many wonderful faith resources.
And almost every time, it goes something like this: “I don’t need this idea; I’ve got it covered! I already KNOW what will enrich my Lenten journey. … Oooh, that’s a cool book for Lenten reflection. Maybe I could do that, too. Hey, sacrifice beads; I forgot all about those. I’m totally adding that onto my list.”
In recent years, I’ve done a better job of deciding how I can live Lent with a focus on deeper levels of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. But it’s often MY focus, not GOD’s. And, coming out of my own addled brain, the ideas always seem to fall short.
Often I’m well into the season when I finally listen to the Lord speaking to me. It’s only then that I finally get the “Aha!” that makes the difference between a liturgical season of random, scattered commitments that only frustrate me — and one that truly brings me closer to the Lord by Easter.
Does this happen to you? Or do you ask God in from the start? How does that affect your Lenten journey?
I do feel content with (and challenged by) my resolutions this year. But as part of my Ash Wednesday fast, I’m going to spend some more time listening for heaven’s voice today. And I should probably back slowly away from the computer until tomorrow. I don’t want to get any more ideas about the “perfect” thing to do for Lent …
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