The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22. In Early Church tradition, Lent was a time of preparation for those who wanted to be baptized as followers of Jesus on Easter. For those of us who are already Jesus followers, this time of preparation is equally important. It can be observed in many ways. The Book of Common Prayer invites us to examine ourselves and repent; to pray or fast or deny ourselves particular things; to read and reflect on the Scriptures we hold Holy. Any or all of these things are well and good if they help us re-turn our focus toward Jesus and his invitation to us to live our life more fully in Him. But this is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Almost anything can be turned into a spiritual practice, including the practice of living more simply, or making time to be alone, or inviting another to be our companion on our spiritual journey. Even the practice of celebrating or being grateful for the world and people around us can be part of what we take on for Lent. There are many things which might stand in the way of our relationship with Jesus, and many ways we can re-learn what it means to follow Him, many paths to take to re-turn to our God.
Consider this:
What stands in the way of full life for you? What needs to be cast aside? What needs to be renewed? What needs to be worked on: bit by bit, day by day? It is different for everyone. God has made each of us different as the stars in the sky, or grains of sand on the beach. Yet each of us is still held special and important and precious in God*s eyes.
The poet Mary Oliver offers this line at the end of her poem, The Summer Day: Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? Lent offers us good space to make a new beginning for this wild and precious life we have each been given.
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