Ephesus, Turkey taken by Martha Wiggins, 2011
“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:28
Lent is a special time of reflection and preparation. We reflect on the meaning of our life and we prepare to receive new life through the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Giving up candy and chocolates, snacks between meals, or foregoing some pleasure we look forward to, are some ways of denying ourselves comforts that we enjoy so we can offer it up as a sacrifice. Self-denial is only one part of our Lenten journey.
Alms giving is another way to sacrifice. Giving our money or our material supplies shows our commitment to care for all of God’s children. While it is good to put the needs of someone else ahead of our own, alms giving is also only a part of our Lenten journey.
The real Lenten journey begins within ourselves. It is an inward reflection on the very meaning of our existence. We ask questions such as, Who am I? Why am I? What am I supposed to do? Why did God send His only Son to live and die for me? How can I get to Heaven? Without the answers to these questions our lives are meaningless. Without the answers to these questions we are merely wanderers through space and time.
In the book entitled “A Deeper Walk,” a compilation of inspirational devotions from famous Christian authors, is a very pointed inspiration on seeking salvation for ourselves:
“Life’s Breath — An inquirer went to a wise hermit who was known as a man of God. “Tell me the way of salvation,” he asked. The hermit led him to the river. There he grabbed the inquirer and held his head under the water. The man fought desperately to get free, but the hermit was strong and held him under. Finally, when he thought his lungs would burst and he had nearly lost all strength, the hermit released him. As the man coughed and gasped for breath, the hermit said, “When you want salvation as much as you wanted air, you will find it.” God knows that we will not truly come to Him until we realize that our lives depend on it. When we recognize that we need God more than anything, we will seek Him desperately.” (Contributed by Tom Jones)
Lent consists of 40 days and nights beginning on Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on February 13th. In the next couple of days start and end each day with a prayer asking God to show you who you are meant to be, to show you personally why He sent His Son to save yo,. and in what way He would like you to use self-denial and alms giving to increase your sanctity and deepen your relationship with Him. Develop a plan and be ready on Ash Wednesday to implement it. Write it down and refer to it often to check your progress, or where you have fallen short and need to double your efforts. Lent is a journey, not in the physical sense, but rather a journey of the soul culminating in Eternal Life with its Creator.
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.” Mark 16:6
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2013 
