Lenten Discipline Begins!

Lenten Discipline Begins!

This was originally posted on a different blog site on February 11, 2016. After having some techinical difficulties, I have transferred it here. I apologize for the weird timeline.

Last night we had a wonderful Ash Wednesday Service where we learned about spiritual disciplines and what they really mean. I was struck by the teaching that they are not meant to be done separately from one another, rather they should be worked on in conjunction with each other. The three I am speaking of are charitable deeds, prayer, and fasting. You cannot work on one without working on the others. I was also struck by the fact that spiritual disciplines are not punishments to atone for sin. If we need to abstain from sin, we need to completely turn away from it, not just work on getting better at not doing it. The disciplines are meant to bring us into closer relationship with God so we can better shine Christ’s light to the world. What better time to focus on our spiritual disciplines than Lent, when we enter into a period of self-examination in preparation for being the most reflective we can be by the time Christ reveals himself in his death and resurrection? Christ’s light is always bright, and it shines in full force upon us in his actions on the cross.

When we think about fasting at Lent, often we are considering what we can give up that we will miss having that will constantly remind us why we are giving it up. I also tend to choose something that will have the double effect of being healthier for me, i. e. giving up sweets makes me miss sweets and also helps me lose weight. Neither of these reasons is a good one! For me, they both end up being selfish because they both end up keeping me thinking about myself instead of about Christ.

This year I have decided to do something different. I have been convicted that a major part of my life is, in fact, getting in the way of my ability to develop my spiritual disciplines. I am talking about my huge, gigantic, mom-purse. This is not a joke. Over the next few weeks, I will be unpacking this decision, literally, and prayerfully examining my motives and where I want to be in my relationship with Christ. Join me!