Lent ahoy!

I'm so used to quoting distinguished writers, philosophers, scientists, rock stars... I think I'll start this off by quoting a friend. After all, friends are no less distinguished, are they?

She wrote, and I take the liberty to annotate with my own thoughts;

I am learning to trust that God gives enough for the day, that I will somehow be able to finish my work in time, despite giving up my time for church and praying and friendship.

Church and praying and friendship. Seems more or less what I've been giving up my time for so far, this semester. I suppose the motives are quite different, though; truth be told, I'm just too lazy and I'm somewhat addicted to the company of others.

But I thank God for endurance and strength in my nearly never-ending string of extra-curricular activities.

When all's said and done and the final bell tolls, I think God's not going to ask me how many A's I got but how many disciples I made, how many moments I made count for Him.

How many moments have I made count for God? Not quite as many as I'd wish I did. This Lent... to make more moments count?

But why do we still face temptation (and sometimes give in)? I guess God wants us to find our strength to stand up under temptation, and He wants us to find our strength in Him. If that means making a few more errors while we go the wrong way in order to find the right one, His mercy is such that He allows it. Because He doesn't want us to remain softies who fall at one blow (though it's perfectly fine that that's what I am now). He wants us to grow to be mature Christians.

Writing as one who knows firsthand what this means and having scars to show for it--scars that are still being added as the battle goes on--it is nonetheless an often frustration process. Yet I have hope because I know these things really do happen, that by God's mercy the right way truly can be found.

So I've found that in my life and in the life of others, God clears us of our sins instantly (justification), so we have complete salvation. At the same time, and paradoxically so, redemption is a process. God isn't finished yet.

I like the way you put it. And that word, redemption. I think it lies at the centre of a lot of thoughts I've been having and a lot of things that have been going on in my life lately. Of the two, I really think redemption is the more incredible act; salvation is a big thing, to be sure, but it only involved the death of Jesus. Redemption, on the other hand, is to me very much our death as we share in His.

Don't you know it makes me feel like glass to write and write from the core of my being and face only a crystal silence? Just a line! Not to thank me or whatever. But a line from you about you and about Romans or whatever. I love letters.

(I don't suppose this line was meant for me, but I'll respond to it anyway!)

I love Romans! Romans 7 and 8 especially. The countless times those chapters met me in moments of great despair and fear as much as in moments of glorious triumph and optimism. How indeed the Spirit through St Paul had walked with me even when I least knew it!

* * * * *

If every Christian gives 2% of our time on earth to social causes...

That's about 30 minutes every day. 210 minutes or 3 1/2 hours a week.

There must be something I can do.

* * * * *

...Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the desert,

where your fathers tested and tried me,
though they had seen what I did.

For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways."

11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
"They shall never enter my rest."

--Psalm 95:7-11 (NIV)

There is this song by Mary Wetzel called 'With All My Heart', one of those songs from the Donut Man collections. I think it has become somewhat of an anthem for me lately.

With all my heart
I will follow after You
With all my soul
I will praise You, O Lord
With all the strength that You have given me
I'll not be led astray
With all my heart
I will walk in Your ways.

As I read the psalm, I realise I do not want to be a person whose heart goes astray, who does not know the ways of my Master.

Alissa, as I read your recent entries on this blog, I began to realise the direction I need to take this Lent: it is reconciliation.

Over the last few months, since starting life in university, I'd successfully made it through one semester without falling into some old pitfalls that have dogged me virtually every year in school. But some things went wrong towards the end of the year, mostly because of me being headstrong and stubborn and all. Now, looking back and, to some extent, looking ahead, I realise I need to make amends with some of these people. I need to ask their forgiveness.

It is difficult to live knowing you carry the name of God, especially when you are a committee member in a Christian organisation. How much simpler life would be if I didn't have that burden! I could be drunk and wild and loose anytime I wanted; but not when I bear this.

Yet would I rather be anywhere else? A few weeks ago a truth came to me; a truth that said, simply, "This is where you are." A truth that spoke to a lot of fears and doubts I'd had last year; that spoke by stating the obvious, no more and no less. And yet it was the answer I needed.

To spend Lent working on reconciliation. Thinking of the life of Christ, I suppose it makes sense that way, doesn't it?


(The pun-ish, semi-lame title just came spontaneously at the end of this post.)