Ready For Good Things

28 Feb

“Lent is a time for discipline, for confession, for honesty, not because God is mean or fault-finding or finger-pointing but because he wants us to know the joy of being cleaned out, ready for all the good things he now has in store.”  ~ N.T. Wright

Since Lent is a time for confession, I’ll make my confession to you:  I don’t always practice what I preach.  Therefore, I need this quote as much as anyone else.  Lent is a holy season and one that speaks deeply to our hearts if we allow it to.  I really love the season of Lent because it gives me the opportunity to refocus my life.

Why do I say “refocus”?  Shouldn’t my life be in focus at all times?  That is where the not practicing what I preach comes in.  Yes, my life should be in focus at all times.  Lent gives me that opportunity.  With a Lent well-lived, the glories of Easter are that much more magnificent.  But what happens after Lent and Easter?  Life.

We all know how difficult it is to stay the course in anything we do.  The longer we do something, the more difficult it becomes as we end up becoming distracted.  That is one of the reasons that they recommend that we never drive for a significant amount of time.  Truckers actually have a rule about how long they can drive before a mandatory break and how many hours they can drive in a day before they have to stop for sleep.  Driving for a prolonged period of time and excessively tired equals an accident waiting to happen.

Our lives are very similar to that.  The longer we attempt anything, the more fatigue can come in.  It happens in our physical lives and it can happen in our spiritual lives.  That is why we need to refocus our energies on following the Lord so that we remain on the path that leads to the Kingdom.

Don’t delay.  Embrace Lenten discipline, go to confession, and live honestly so that you may know the joy of being cleaned out spiritually.

FAITH ACTION:  Submit yourself to the discipline of Lent so that you may be prepared for the glory to come.