Springtime=Lenttime

Did you know Lent means springtime?  I didn't know that, and was frankly surprised since I mainly associate the 46 days leading up to Easter with self-deprivation and the last few bleak weeks of winter.  It's something we have to grin and bear before we make it to the good stuff, that being sunny, 60 degree days and an Easter dress.

It makes sense though.  The Christian practice of fasting in various forms during Lent is not meant to end in deprivation, but in a feasting on the things that really matter and truly satisfy: Christ, His sacrifice, our mission with Him.

In the season of Lent, the Christian practices a turning from dependence on earthly things to a renewed dependence on Christ for identity, comfort, and the riches of grace.  With the rest of my RH family, I've been giving up treats and other forms of self indulgence this week to begin the Lenten journey and hopefully to remind me that real comfort and security is found in Christ... NOT in a neverending bowl of Espresso Chip Edy's ice cream. 

God has been meeting me this week as I give up some good things and concentrate on what is better.  No desserts, no wine, no 50 cent candy bar purchases from the vending machine at work to help me make it through the day.  The Father's grace is what does that.

Among other things, I realized that I talk about cravings as if they were needs, and in so doing, I've tricked my mind to think that is true. God has quickly reminded me and my belly that He is what I need.  So far, I am abundantly more free without the inordinate amount of sugar and high fructose corn syrup.  In moments of stress or fatigue however, I'm greedy for a little fix, a second of cocoa heaven to de-stress or re-energize.  Thanks God, that you have something better for us than a sugar rush.  Sorry for forgetting. 

If you aren't used to practicing Lent, check out http://redemptionhill.com/lent/ to download the guide and jump in!

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34

Belated Valentine's Day Post

Recently, I've written more than one post that never made it onto the actual blog.  There's one about Tim Tebow that was one sentence away from completion.  It's now time for basketball.  There were some thoughts on Syria (?).  Rough, unfinished, nonsensical- they are all saved in my email.  Somewhere.  

Follow-through is lacking these days, and in more areas than just this.  [Sigh].  I won't list them all, but I repeated to myself this morning that God loves me regardless of the number of items on my good intentions list that remain unchecked.  He loves me and is for me.  His love doesn't ebb and flow with the tides of my productivity or lack thereof.  Amen. [End sermon to self]. Here's the post I began earlier this week, now only five days late :)

Valentine's Day evening involved a spot so cozy it feels like home, a leisurely and delicious dinner, red wine, and engaging conversation... with my RH community group a few blocks down.  Jeromy was at a four-hour bar prep class (gag), which he is most every Tuesday night (boo), so I was glad to have something fun to look forward to.  As we (three couples and myself) settled in to feast together, Daniel surveyed the group.  "So, does anyone here hate Valentine's Day?  Like, morally oppose it?"  Why did I not take a breath or even pause before answering?  

"Yes!  Why should there be a day set aside to treat your significant other the way they should be treated all the time?!  I told Jeromy to not even get me flowers.  I'd rather have them another day when I'm not expecting it.  We are called to love selflessly every day, not set aside one day to buy cheap and gaudy crap.  I do like the little gifts my parents get me though..."  I didn't shut up for at least five minutes, assuming the couples in the room were captivated by my diatribe.

"Yeah... that's kinda what I thought," murmured John before looking at his wife Kelly and trailing off.  Apparently, other people find worth in Valentine's Day.  (In Kelly's defense, Valentine's Day is the anniversary of their engagement).  Lessons learned: think before speaking and be diplomatic when speaking out special holidays.

I will briefly conclude my Valentine's Day hater speech here.  It's not that I'm against love or dates or romance.  I just appreciate all those things when they originate from a caring and attuned husband, not a commercial that serves as a profit-seeking calendar reminder.  "Valentine's Day is TUESDAY.  Get your someone special something special for Valentine's Day THIS TUESDAY."  Thank you.  Got it.

My frustration lies in the advertisement of love as a feeling, and we all know this is not true.  Love is each choice made for another at the expense of self.  Sometimes it feels great, sometimes it doesn't.  The lapses between sentimental special occasions in which it is easy and natural to love another are where the hard work and real love take root. 

"The couple whose marriage will certainly be endangered by them, and possibly ruined, are those who have idolized Eros... They expected that mere feeling would do for them, and permanently, all that was necessary," explains C.S. Lewis in The Four Loves. "When this expectation is disappointed they throw the blame on Eros or, more usually, on their partners."   

Personifying Eros, he continues, "He makes the vows; it is we who must keep them.  It is we who must labour to bring our daily life into even closer accordance with what the glimpses have revealed.  We must do the works of Eros when Eros is not present... And all good Christian lovers know that this programme, modest as it sounds, will not be carried out except by humility, charity and divine grace."

Scripture, per usual, says it best.  

God so loved the world that He gave... This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers (John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16).

Excess for Simplicity

I haven't been this excited about a good read for quite some time.  7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess is engaging, winsome, and convicting.  The author is Jen Hatmaker, who makes me heartily laugh out loud even when no one is around.  The best way to describe her work with 7 is a wild social experiment accentuated by honest commentary and self-deprecating humor. 

Jen endeavors to give up an area of excess each month in order to clear out the clutter and allow margin to hear from God.  I just finished reading about her first month in which she cut out excess by consuming only seven foods all month: chicken, eggs, bread, sweet potatoes, spinach, avocados, and apples.  Spoiler alert: She lives to tell about it, even to elaborate on the other areas in which she cuts out excess (clothes, possessions, media, waste, spending, and stress).

Crazy?  A little bit.  But Jen's point is a good one.  She cites studies showing that "increased consumerism comes at a steep price.  A rise in prosperity is not making people happier or healthier.  Findings from a survey of life satisfaction in more than 65 countries indicate that income and happiness track well until about $13,000 of annual income per person.  After that, additional income produces only modest increments of self-reported happiness."  Of course happiness, or the lack thereof, is more of a side effect than the goal of the whole project.  What Jen is after is steadfast, obedient, stalwart discipleship.

The goal of our consumption could be the gross wages we accumulate as easily as it might be the social media we mindlessly devour.  The subject of our consumption doesn't matter, but our misdirected longings for fulfillment through possessions, information, or spending do.  They squash our freedom.  Jen emphasizes that "when accumulation is not our bottom line, we are liberated to disperse our time and resources differently."  

She asks the reader some thoughtful questions on the front end to help identify areas of excess:

What in my life, if taken away, would alter my value or identity?

What is the thing outside of God that you put everything else on hold for?

Think about it.  I'll think about it too.  I've been thinking about it already, I guess.  If I'm brave enough, I'll write about my answers next time!  After all, if simplicity was good enough for my Lord, then it's good enough for me. 

"We cannot carry the gospel to the poor and lowly while emulating the practices of the rich and powerful." -Jen Hatmaker, 7