As the period of Lent starts, I'm giving it new thought. I don't think I have ever very seriously taken part in Lent. Yes, it has become a rather 'religious' thing, but it also is representative of the 40 days Jesus spent in the Wilderness, right after receiving His call and blessing, fasting and wrestling it out for God. For me, it now represents a time of getting straight with God, of facing our temptations and stumbling blocks, and being freed of them so that we can walk in new purity and with healed bodies and souls. Sounds too dreamy or spiritual for you? Well, it kinda is, and it kinda isn't.
I think of it a bit like having a wounded shoulder or knee. Or a kink in your neck. After a while, if that pain continues, you start adjusting the way you walk or move so that the wound or kink doesn't hurt quite so much. So that you achieve the most comfortable position possible. Any physical therapist will tell you that that is often why people come in: after an injury, patients have to relearn how to use their bodies properly, rather than conforming their bodies to the pain they used to feel, and thereby causing further injury.
Long story short, I'm ready to not live according to my injuries, but in new freedom, moving and living fully as I was meant to. But how do I do that? I've gotta turn around and kick some things in the butt. Go to my 'physical therapist'. Healing is not often achieved just lying down.
I think of a song, "Healing Rain", where the artist sings,'Healing rain is falling down, I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid'. You see, while going to a physical therapist, or going to the doctor when your injured, is probably good, it also can be quite painful. My niece had a fever, and she didn't want to take any medicine for it. Finally, her parents made her, and they asked the next day, 'Do you feel better?'. She of course said 'yes'. But when asked if taking medicine wasn't too bad, she said 'No, I didn't like it'. Same goes for us grown ups.
This year, I'm letting go of a few things I feel are keeping me from a having "hands and a heart that are pure" so that I can "climb the mountain of the LORD", see doors opened, and see the King of Glory - He who is victorious over all - come claim the victory! A victory that frees me and brings me life! Read Psalm 24, and see if you get a small glimpse of what is getting me excited. It's not really about something we all call 'Lent'; it's about Jesus, the Son of the Living God, and learning to live as He did: freely, purely, sacrificially. He is the Faithful One.
Isaiah 43:19 "For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway throug the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland."
