this Lent

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday here.  Quite unfortunately i didn't even realize it until my mom asked in an email if I'd made it to church - gah!  I don't remember hearing any announcements about there being any services around the area but I'm sure there was one somewhere...but maybe they don't focus much on it here?  I dunno, it's kind of a big deal though.  And i'm not really sure how it works with the time difference either; i know that Valentine's Day here is celebrated on February 15th because NZ is nearly a full day ahead, but I'm pretty sure that Easter Sunday is going to be on a Sunday here, so who knows?  Anyways i tell you all of this because i received an email from a dear friend of mine back at Grove City and the message included a link to a devotional about this season; it's incredibly worthwhile. 

Have a look: Lent: An Invitation to Return to God

I was especially stuck by the parts when the author talks about the act of giving something up and where our hearts are in that process.  For the past several years I have either tried to give something up only to become frustrated in the process and drop it part way through or just choose to not give up anything at all to avoid failure.  I have found in the past that i scrap the effort part way through because I do not feel that I'm growing closer to Christ, but rather becoming distracted by wanting the thing that I'd chosen to withhold from myself.  I know that this is largely missing the point of the giving something up deal, but regardless, thus were my results.

This year though, today actually, i have felt challenged to go beyond the typical I'm-not-going-to-eat-chocolate thing and look deeper at what lent means.  It sounds so simple but I was convicted about the foundation and purpose of it: to become closer to the Lord.  I started thinking that it is lame if i don't make an attempt to initiate some sort of change during this time with that goal in mind.  So i thought of an area that needs some work - my devotionals.  I have consistently gotten better with doing devotionals and praying daily but i still so often get distracted by the smallest and most insignificant of things.  So.  What most often distracts me from being able to spend time with the Lord in the mornings?  My computer.  Especially since I've left to study abroad my mac often feels like my lifeline.  I blog, check facebook, email, skype...but these things sometimes feel more important than time with God and that's not ok.  So I've decided to limit my computer usage based on whether I've had my devotional for the day and what time of the morning it is.

I explain all of this here because i want to encourage you.  Maybe you've already decided what to give up for Lent this year and maybe you have really got your heart focused on totally seeking the Lord and de-cluttering your mind in order to better serve Him - i encourage you to stay strong and not give up when it gets tough.  But i also want to encourage anyone who just feels stuck and who just sometimes doesn't want to bother because you've tried many times before and it just hasn't worked well and you've ended up giving up and feeling guilty about it.  Re-evaluate what Lent really means and remember that it's about so much more than just giving something up - that's just a means to get to the end - the end of making yourself more available for Christ to use you for His glory.

"As we clear out the clutter in our souls, we become more finely attuned to what is really going on in our lives spiritually and the invitations that are there for us.  As we experience a broken and contrite heart in the face of what we are seeing, the way is opened for God to teach us wisdom in our secret heart."