Word for Word 2/22/17
It’s getting close to s-p-r-i-n-g! Which means it’s also getting close to L-E-N-T. “So?” you may ask, “what difference does that make?”
Well, if you choose to make a difference, Lent can come to be a very significant thing. It is a time to do some self-evaluation. Specifically it has to do with your assessment of your relationship with God - The Almighty, The Creator, The Supreme Being, The Father in Heaven, The Son & The Holy Spirit, etc.
Lent is an opportunity to choose to better yourself by shoring up your relationship with God and doing so by examining the self-sacrificial nature of Jesus the Christ. Jesus was a male human being who chose to be fully obedient to God’s will/desire. He is our example, in human form, of how to live in a full, rich relationship with God. Now one might say that Jesus had an unfair advantage in making the right choices in life because he wasn’t merely human but also divine, however, He WAS still tested and tempted because he lived in this broken old world of ours.
The brokenness of this world is all around us - corruption as a result of greed; broken hearts and families as a result of lies and selfishness; bitterness and hatred as a result of killing and fighting/wars; and the list could go on. But what if we spent some time imagining what the world could be like without all that “brokenness”? Certainly we would see a better place - and see a better version of ourselves in that better place!
Lent is an opportunity to take that time to imagine/to visualize what it would be like if each of us chose to be like Jesus and be obedient to God’s will/desire. Athletes use visualization to help enhance their performance - the way my children’s message materials put it “[they] prepare for competition by mentally practicing the moves their bodies must do. They practice with their bodies, but to make it to the top they must practice in their minds and in their thoughts. Thinking about something makes it easier to do. You go over it again and again in your mind, and when the time comes, your body just reacts.”
So if you want to make a difference in the world, choose to take 15 minutes during each of the 40 days of Lent (starting on Ash Wednesday/March 1st going thru Easter/April 16th - not counting Sundays) to imagine/visualize yourself DOING Jesus/Christ-like things: acts of mercy, offering or accepting forgiveness, feeding the hungry, welcoming a stranger, visiting “the sick”/someone in a nursing home, reading the scriptures, etc. Maybe you can see yourself doing all kinds of random acts of kindness; or behaving in a more productive way with a family member or co-worker; or sitting in church with a SMILE on your face. But try it and see if you don’t experience a change in attitude, stress level and/or behavior as the practicing prepares “your body to just react” in a Christ-like and loving way.
If you choose not to try any of this then you’ll never know if you’d make a difference in any of the world’s brokenness and Lent won’t make any difference. We will, however, still be even closer to spring. As to how much you’ll really enjoy it will depend on the choices you make.
Rev. Kim A. Gates
Waukon St. Paul’s & Forest Mills United Methodist Churches
