I get questions from my non-Lutheran or non-Catholic friends about
why we give something up for Lent.
First off, it's a tradition, not a commandment. I know, sometimes we act like we've got the
two confused. You'll never find the word
Lent in the Bible, nor does our salvation depend on this or anything else we do
or don't do. But you will find over and over
a call to repentance, self examination and cleansing. Yes, we can do this at any time by
ourselves. But just like date night with
a spouse, paying bills or checking the smoke detectors, without a set aside
date, this important time gets put off eternally.
Our goal is not to clean ourselves up for God, but to allow God
to show us where our spiritual blind spots are.
What character flaws, quirks and even sins are keeping us from fully
glorifying God? Sacrifice has a
wonderful way of putting everything about us under a microscope. It's not a pretty process as we spend time
truly looking at what our sins have cost us.
For me, Lent goes something like this: I give up all sweets, especially
chocolate. When I've got all my energy
and attention wrapped around the imported French truffles I can't have, I
suddenly realize how fragile and dependent I am. Then some distressing family news comes along
and suddenly I need comfort. I feel
angry that I can't have a caramel latte to soothe my nerves. How long have I been depending on sugar
rather than God? In the midst of all
this struggle, I become snarky with the electrician when he presents us with an
unexpected repair bill. Now to my list
of shortcomings I can add rude and entitled.
And why is it so hard for me to ask God for help? Hmm.
Add prideful to that list. This
spiritual house cleaning we call Lent is getting ugly. This process happens every year.
Then only two things can happen: either I will fail miserably and
realize how devastating my sins are or I will succeed and realize that yes, all
our good deeds are like filthy rags. I
can't win. I find myself suffocating at
the crossroads of both these realities and I can't hold myself up anymore. I am at the end of my defiance, pride, willpower
and determination. All I have is myself,
and I'm not much.
Then the miracle of Lent kick starts. At the end of me is the beginning of Jesus,
the only one who can bring a healing balm to my sins and meaning to my
sacrifices. At the end of my failure is
Jesus' resurrection. I need to
experience this truth every year. When
the resurrection finally arrives, I can fully embrace the joy of the empty tomb
having stared in the face of every chain Jesus broke for me that first Easter
morning.
~ Denyse
