As we stand on the threshold of Lent, I must confess that I am looking forward to this particular season of the church calendar more than I was for the previous Advent Season we recently went through. That may seem odd to many. Both periods are times of preparation and reflection. But, Advent has a more positive and upbeat aura that surrounds it. I mean, really, how can you not be excited while expecting the birth of a child, especially the Christ Child. Even the words that represent it, Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love evoke warm and fuzzy thoughts and feelings.
At least they are suppose to evoke these feelings. Last year during that season, I was having a hard time grasping and holding on to each of those. I was weighed down by many things. Battling a new bout of depression. Emotionally and physically drained as someone who works in healthcare and all we’ve faced the past two years. A mid-life crisis that had me looking back on choices made in my past, assessing where I am in the present, and trying to determine what I wanted for in my future. It was not a joyous time of expectant waiting that I was going through. I am thankful that at least by Christmas Eve and Christmas Day I was able to feel more in the true spirit of the holiday and worship and rejoice at what the birth of the Savior meant for the world and for me personally.
But, I’m here to talk about Lent. The words and the aura surrounding this season are less positive and upbeat. Confession. Repentance. It’s not the things that usually make one jump and down and find themselves eager to engage in. So, why am I excited about it? For one, it’s a time that fits my personality and my spiritual ethos. I am a very introspective and reflective person. I love thinking the deep thoughts. I love asking and trying to answer the hard questions. Lent calls us into such a time. Secondly, although all the issues I mentioned earlier haven’t all been magically resolved, I am in a better frame of mind and better position to deal with them. My hope is that these next forty days will bring about more clarity to the things I am struggling with. In fact, that brings up another word that applies to Lent. Renewal. That is what comes on the other side of confession and repentance. And that is what I am most looking forward to.
If you would like, I invite you to join me in using a devotional guide for Lent that for me seems perfectly timed for my life right now. (Using that word perfectly is kind of ironic as you will soon see.) This guide is called A Good Enough Lent. It is based on a devotional book called Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection written by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie. While the book is available for purchase, the guide is available as a free download and can be used independent of the devotional book. The link for the free download can be found here: https://katebowler.com/lent.
Notes from a Book Nerd 