Small Lent Offering

I gave up Facebook for a week of Lent. I know, I know, Lent is 40 days, but although I am not a beginner at observing Lent, I am a baby novice at giving up things for Lent. A few years ago, I tried it: I gave up beer and made it about 3 weeks before throwing in the towel one Saturday night while having dinner with my friend who just happens to be a minister. That was a few years ago and made me think that since I wasn't Catholic and I come from "up North", I didn't really need to observe Lent in this way... anyway.

So, Sunday I decided to give it a try for one week. Whew! This has been hard. I spend quite a lot of minutes a day checking in on Facebook by reading posts, updating my status and most recently checking myself in when I go for out for fun and then tagging friends who are with me as well as taking a picture to add to the collage.

Does anyone care what my status is or where I am at the moment. The answer is yes. I know they care because they read it and mention it. And I know, because I care about my Facebook friends status and where they are.

Anyway, I have given it up and it's been hard and that's the way it's supposed to be, right? So, when I want to go on Facebook, I am to think Godly thoughts, and perhaps reflect on all that Christ suffered while hanging on that cross.

I'll be honest with you. I don't like pondering, thinking about, or reflecting on the cross experience. It makes me highly uncomfortable and anxious (and angry). It is beyond my imagination how any one person, let alone a group of religious leaders, could commit such an evil and horrendous act to any human being regardless of what they believed about him. And to think that God somehow did this on purpose is again, beyond my thinking. I can, however, believe that God works in even the most difficult, uncomfortable, anxious, scary, and sad times. For I believe, He is the Great Comforter, and I have experienced Him personally in this capacity.

This week I have needed that comfort and to know that He is working in all the situations of my current life situation, as well as my sisters', my parents', my friends', and other countries' current life situations. There are troubling things happening everywhere and some of those things are happening in my very heart.

I am on a quest for transformation, but it is hard work, for going back to what is familar whether it worked in the past or not, is the easy way... Falling back on old ideas, old habits, old ways of doing things is easy to do even if I have decided to go a new way. And going the new way is on purpose... for purpose... to become who I was born to be... to give to the world the gifts I was purposed to give. And to do that, it seems that clutter has got to be kept to a mimimum. My fear? that I don't know the difference between clutter and treasure. And because of that, I trust that God will help me know the difference. When am I leaning into something or someone that is keeping me from my purpose and when am I running from something or someone that is part of my purpose. God, help me know the difference, and I trust you do and always have; I only need to learn to listen and then trust with my whole heart as I take my picture off another wall.

So, while I stay away from posting my status on Facebook or reading everyone else's status's, and while I don't see who is friending who and who is "in a relationship" and where everyone is eating dinner, I reflect on how much God is at work in the world and I ask what can I do to help?

What happens now?

Namaste