Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I am observing a fast that I stumbled into after reading Christine Sine’s “Take Up Your Cross: A Journey Into Wholeness,” courtesy of High Calling blogs. Seven years ago, my Sabbath observance began as a Lenten discipline.
If I had my way, Lent would only last two weeks. I can last on my own strength for about that long. Then my will goes out and my flesh takes over. So long, mind. Farewell, feelings. Hello, sin.
The Lord shakes His head.
The Lenten season marks subterranean shifts in my soul. I don’t know they’re happening until they do. Maybe that late freeze did cause my roots to go deeper. Maybe the drought forced me to look for fresh springs. Perhaps by the time Easter comes, wildflowers will spring up in my own backyard. And something in my heart that was no more than a weed will bloom.
Lord, whether I keep this fast well or ill, help me to keep it to the end. As I am crushed, may the aroma of Christ come forth.
