Intentional

In the season of Lent, I often find myself frustrated with how the 'Christian culture' consumes the truth of God's heart.  When Christians are taught to be shining lights in a dark world and to lead by following after Jesus, are we reflecting the true desires of God's heart when we misrepresent the season of Lent?  Is Lent not a time to find quiet moments with God - to pray that He align our hearts to His desires, and to be blatantly intentional about doing so in a way that we push aside the distractions of this world in order to do so?  Yes.  However, Lent has become this period of time where we focus on giving up something instead of intentionally adding to our life.  While I applaud those that are giving up sweets or chocolate, or facebook and other social media sites, I would also challenge them.  Why are they giving up sweets or chocolate?  Why are they making an effort to stay away from facebook?  Every time they are tempted by one of these earthly distractions, do they honestly take their distraction to God in prayer?  Is fasting not a time to spend in humble obedience to our God?  Is it God's desire for us to be humbly obedient to just resisting Chocolate or Facebook?  Or is there more to this season of fasting? 

Epcot Flower & Garden Festival March 2013 - a new being!

It's not my place to judge, but I purposefully did not give anything up for Lent for this reason.  Giving something up did not guarantee that I would replace that time with learning more about what it means to surrender and be obedient to God.  Giving up something worldly could not guarantee that I would succumb and allow a spiritual transformation within myself by taking my temptation to Him.  Therefore, instead of giving up something, I added something.  It's challenging to add intentionality to a chaotic, busy life.  However,  if my focus on a lack of something becomes greater than my focus on God, I have no longer been obedient to God's will for my life.  I view Lent, a time of intentional prayer and fasting, as a season of transformation.  A time where I make room to thank God for allowing me into His life.  A time where I make room for him to mold and change me; to envelop me and use me to reflect all that He represents.  And in surrendering to this, beauty results.  Like a caterpillar, once timid and shy, being surrounded by a cocoon of safety while being transformed into something spectacular.  I, too, hope for a transformation into a precious and delicate, but confident, creation.  There is nothing that I cannot have when I am obedient to the journey prepared for me.   When I pause and allow God to do His thing in me, I allow fear to be conquered by perfect love.  So I added that.  Daily, sometimes an abundant amount of times each day - until I allow it to be in each breath I take, I challenge myself to believe that in perfect love, there is no fear.

That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.  (Romans 8:20)