Saturday, March 11, 2023

Celebrating discipline

Rob Stevens

Lent comes from the old English word lenten, meaning "spring" -- not only a reference to the season before Easter, but also an invitation to a springtime for the soul. Forty days to cleanse the system and open the eyes to what remains when all comfort is gone. Forty days to remember what it is like to live by the grace of God alone and not by what we can supply for ourselves.

Our world gives us a constant stream of messages that reinforce every minute of everyday that there is not enough of whatever it is that we are looking for and that any empty space must be filled. Lent, is the antidote to that addiction. Lent is a time when instead of satisfying every craving we might pay attention to the craving and perhaps discover what it really is that we crave. Barbara Brown Taylor offers this, “To enter the wilderness is to leave them [our addictions] behind, and nothing is too small to give up. Even a chocolate bar will do. For 40 days, simply pay attention to how often your mind travels in that direction. Ask yourself why it happens when it happens. What is going on when you start craving a Mars bar? Are you hungry? Well, what is wrong with being hungry? Are you lonely? What is so bad about being alone? Try sitting with the feeling instead of fixing it and see what you find out.”

Paying attention and listening to our lives are perhaps our two most difficult tasks as human beings. Lent is the gift that invites all of us to stop, breathe, and begin again the process of listening to our lives. Remember, that the purpose of Lent and spiritual practice is not to give ourselves more to do, but to clear some of the clutter of our life so that we may recognize God. I’m grateful that I get to take this journey with you.