Well, my tummy is full after our Shrove Tuesday dinner at one of our Parish Churches. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. When I think of what the season of Lent represents and what it means and how we are to be in a time of reflection about what Christ did for us I find myself humbled. I had the opportunity to share the Easter story with my friend over lunch today...when we were discussing the series of events she commented how terrible of a thing it was for Jesus to be killed. To that I responded, "But it's a GOOD thing! Had that not happened, we would be drowning in our own sin and not be able to have eternal life."
Christ sacrificed for us. He died for us. He has made it possible for us to have eternal life if we just accept him into our lives. That is the BEST gift we will ever receive. I don't know where I'd be in life without the love and grace of God.
I like to try to give something up during the Lent season, surely I can make a small sacrifice for 40 days especially since Jesus has sacrificed so much for me. But I also want to draw closer to Him during this time. Let's face it, giving up chocolate might be a sacrifice but it doesn't make me any closer to God! All it does is make me want chocolate more!!!
So after much prayer and thought I've decided what I'm going to do this year during Lent. God called me out of the work force (THANK YOU GOD!) to take care of my husband, children and home. So, I am limiting my computer time for the next 40 days to times only to those times when everyone is asleep and/or not home. Our computer is always on and sits in the main living area of our home. It has become such a bad habit of mine when I'm bored or not wanting to do what needs to be done. Often times because of my time spent on the computer (generally doing NOTHING productive!) I am ignoring my husband, my children, my home and this in turn separates me from God because I'm not doing to the best of my ability, what it is He has called me to do.
The second part of what I am going to do is to spend some time, hopefully each day, with The Boy and BuhBuh reading and teaching them about God and His love for each of them. I have a young children's devotional that I used when The Boy was BuhBuh's age that I have not yet taken the time to sit down and do with him. I have told The Boy to pick a book out of the Old Testament and the New Testament for us to read from together during Lent; right off the top of his head he picked Job and Revelations. (YIKES!!!!)
My prayer is that you spend some time this Lent season looking closer at your relationship with Christ and seeing where and how you can grow closer to him. Maybe it's not in giving anything up, maybe it's as simple as giving back.
4 comments:
What a great idea. The computer is so addicting and you are right, it makes us ignore all things around us. What a grea thing to work on. You will be blessed for your efforts, I am sure of it!
I gave up pop, but I didn't want the caffeine-withdrawal headaches associated with it, so I'm drinking coffee to give up pop. It makes sense in my head anyway.
I'm always reminded of the fact, that yes it was so terrible that Jesus had to die, especially in the manner of a criminal's death, but thank GOD that we couldn't do it so He had His Son do it for us. God knows we literally are completely helpless without Him.
Your mention of the hopeless state we would be in if Christ had not died reminder me of something I heard around Christmas. It is a list of what the world would be like if he had not been born. Here's the link...
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/2006/1920_What_Would_Not_Be_If_Jesus_Had_Not_Been/
That's a great idea. It's so easy to fall into the lure of the computer when you could and should be doing other things....that's what I'm doing right now!
HHhhhmmmm I'm going to have to ponder this a bit!
:) liza
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