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A NOTE FROM NATHAN
This newsletter is being published on the 15th day of Lent. Which begs the question: How are you doing with your Lenten discipline? Perhaps you gave up sugary drinks or alcoholic beverages. Maybe you took on a devoted time of daily personal prayer or attending worship every Sunday of Lent. Whatever your discipline, I suspect it’s been tested. Or, if you are like me, it’s already been broken.
My family decided to give up eating out during Lent. We found that we were spending more and more money (and calories) on going out or picking up take-out. As the kids get older and our lives get busier, it is easier sometimes to have someone else do the cooking. As a result, we were eating in the car on the go as much as we were around the table at home.
Thus far, Marion, Harrison, and Clara have been disciplined. With the exception of a trip they made to Indiana, which necessitated a meal out, they have done well. Me, on the other hand – not so much.
Anticipating a day full of meetings recently, I knew I needed to eat something more substantive to get me through lunch. However, I was running behind. So, I made a pit stop at Starbucks on the way to Church. Just about the time I took my first bite, the guilt ensued. I felt like I not only was letting God down, but also my family.
So, I revisited the first reading from our Lenten Small Group Study, The Lives We Actually Have, by Kate Bowler. The reading was written for Ash Wednesday. Thus, I thought it might be a good reminder of the reason for which we take on a Lenten discipline in the first place. One sentence, in particular, struck me: “Some days I need to be reminded that I am not the perfectibility project I set out to be.”
The truth is none of us are the perfectibility projects we set out to be. Thanks be to God the point is not perfection – this goes for your Lenten Discipline as well. In fact, if we strive for perfection, we will fail every time. No, instead, we are called to be mindful of our imperfection and recognize our need for God, on whom we rely for everything, including life itself.
In other words, after you have eaten that girl scout cookie you promised to avoid or skipped that exercise routine you committed to three days a week, don’t feel guilty – just remember the one who provides the joy of a cookie and your health to be able to exercise. After all, our disciplines, ultimately, are reminders of the illusion that our lives are our own.
The Ash Wednesday reading continues, “Bless me, Oh God, in the ways I trick myself into believing that my life is something I’ve made, that all of my accomplishments and successes and mastered mornings add up to something independent of you.”
Blessed are you…and me.
Peace,
Nathan
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