Lenten Resolutions

It's Lent. A time of sacrafice. A time of inward reflection and transformation. A time of preparing for a new life in Christ. To me, Lent is the most poignant time in our Christian calendar. It's just so rich in spiritual symbolism. From the somber reminder of earthy ashes on our forehead, the bare altar, the anointing oils and the heaviness that precedes that joyous Easter morning. It holds what I am seeking...meaning. So very rich in meaning. Somehow, this amazingly powerful time has been reduced to nothing more than a time restricted resolution. 40 days. And I don't know...maybe I'll stop buying Starbucks on my way to work or something. I had a good laugh at my children's Lenten resolutions. Molly said, "I'm giving up squash for Lent" She can't stand squash. Or Callum, "I'm giving up being sick for Lent!!" I can roll with that, buddy!! But really, our resolutions aren't much more substantial. I'll give up chocolate. I'm giving up my frappachino in the morning. I mean we will always fall so incredibly short in our sacrafice compared to God's sacrafice. But couldn't we get a LITTLE closer?? This is deep stuff! Can't we move beyond our coffees and chocolates and squash? Christ taught us a lot about transformation. Our powerful Lord and Savior. Our living God...he was scared of it. In fact, he prayed that if it didn't have to happen, that it wouldn't! But it did, and so it did. And when it happened, the pain was nearly unbearable. The Son of God cried out. He doubted!! "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And then he surrendered to God's will, and it was done. "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." And there was the death of one life. There was weeping and emptiness and sorrow. And one morning, out of the darkness came light. And a new life, a better life...a life that nobody thought was possible was born. Wow, doesn't not having chocolate or passing on your morning mocha seem flat now?? That we try to symbolize the ultimate human sacrafice...the most GLORIOUS transformation with something as inane as passing on the Snickers bars for 40 days. Let me tell you something, we are MEANT to be radically transformed by God. That is his gift to us. And I believe that with all my heart and soul. With every ounce of my being. I've experienced it!! And I never want to stop experiencing it. When God transforms you, it IS terrifying. And I doubt and scramble for any other paths but his. And I've felt pain so immense that it brings me to the ground...I've cried to God with a heart so filled with pain that it's inhuman nature scared me. And then I relented...and let myself die to his will. Only to have NEW life breathed into me, a new life crafted by him...perfect beyond my expectations of what perfection could be. That's the type of transformation God wants to give to us. A transformation so great that it embodies the very essence of God. In my time with God, one word kept coming into the forefront of my mind. "Excess". I don't know exactly where I'm supposed to go with this, but I KNOW I'm supposed to go with it. So my 40 days preceeding Easter is going to be spent meditating on "excess" . Writing about "excess" Contemplating "excess" And praying about "excess." And I'll be sharing it here on this blog. So keep checking back. Unless God things irk you...then you might want to steer clear of my blog for a few weeks. But honestly, I've got a pretty good feelings this stuff isn't going to be exclusive just to the religious, so you might want to stay tuned. I've got a feeling it's gonna be good stuff. Peace.

Pain Won

Last night addiction claimed a life. I'm sure it claimed many lives that day, but today it claimed the life of family. Of a young man who struggled the entirity of his short life. Whether addiction was the cause of his death or the consequence of a mental health issue which he self medicated, we don't know yet. And we may never know. And in the end, it doesn't matter. Someone's baby boy died last night. Some mother had her worst nightmare become her reality last night. Some teenage kid found his step brother dead on the floor. The end nobody wanted but everyone feared, it happened. Last night pain won.