Spring Cleaning

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I grew up in the Methodist church but never observed the Lenten season until I was an adult. I'm not sure why that was, but I've since grown to appreciate Lent as my personal invitation to draw close to God again, and invite Him into the parts of my life that have become dusty, cluttered, or downright dysfunctional over time. The miracle of Easter is so much more real when I allow God to do some extra work on me during the six weeks prior to Resurrection Sunday.

So I went to our Ash Wednesday service this week and once again began my personal pilgrimage to Easter. I liked that Pastor Jim compared the cross he imposed on our foreheads to a “paid in full” stamp. But it also struck me that the cross is the great equalizer—a symbol of the debt of gratitude we all owe but can't come close to repaying. It may be the greatest irony of all, that the cross means I have a zero balance and, at the same time, that I owe Jesus my life. I call it the consequence of grace.

Sometimes I give something up for Lent; other times I don’t. Occasionally it seems more appropriate to take something up for Him, rather than lay something down. One definition I found for the word Lenten was, "suggesting Lent, as in austerity, frugality, or rigorousness; meager." While I understand the concept of sacrifice, it has to have a purpose. There's no point in putting something aside for six weeks just to pick it back up after Easter and go on as if nothing is different. The first Easter changed everything, and every Easter we celebrate should change us.

For me, the point of Lent is to make room for more of what He wants to give me. It's all about less of me and more of Him...a spring cleaning of the heart if you will. And the riches of His blessings promise to make this season of life anything but austere and meager.

"He must become greater; I must become less." ~ John 3:30 (NIV)