Ready, Set, Get your Ash in Church

Today is the big day – the first day of Lent!
So I’m writing this down for myself, and maybe a few of you faithful readers will need it too.

This is not like starting a diet. Or that house project that you never finished, or the sweater that is partially knitted but you haven’t found the time to complete. This isn’t like the Couch potato to 5K, or saving for your kid’s college education.

If you look at Lent that way, you will fail. You will not get any meaning out of it, or at least not as much meaning as you could, and you will not have any spiritual growth! Sure Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, but he didn’t have a sin nature to fall into – we do.

Living through lent is a lot like living with alcoholism – you have to keep making your resolve!  So instead of looking at Lent like a long journey that gratefully ends six weeks from now – take it day by day, hour by hour, and minute by minute. Make your resolutions and try to keep them for TODAY.

and if you stumble, fall, or give in, forgive yourself, and start over!

But for today – just start – just like the sign says.

oh- and keep your sense of humor. God save us all from grumpy penitents!

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