I didn’t grow up in a tradition that really celebrated Lent in any meaningful way. I knew it only as the time between Mardi Gras and Easter. I’ve since come to find myself enamored with the ideas, rhythms, and reflection that it creates. I’m not typically great at keeping a steady, disciplined fast throughout the entirety of the period, but whenever I’ve tried, I’ve been impacted. It’s helped me reflect more on my own humanity, the brokenness of the world, and helped me become more in tune with the suffering others.
It’s also helped me better understand Easter. It’s helped me understand the suffering of the cross and what a glorious victory the resurrection actually is. I can’t help but think that when we ignore Lent, we somehow minimize the gospel and truncate the work of Christ. I want to argue that we miss some of the beauty of Easter morning when it’s not contrasted with the stark austerity of Lent.
So, I’m trying something new this season. My goal is to update this blog for 40 days during Lent. I won’t write on Sundays, but I’ll make a strong effort to do it every other day. As I mentioned before, I’m typically pretty bad at adopting a Lenten discipline, but I’m hoping that by doing something so public I’ll have the accountability I need in order to see this goal through. I’ve wanted to devote more time to writing and this seems as good a place as any.
I’ll be using this as a reflection on scripture and the situations and experiences I have during this time with the hope of pulling the shroud off the mundane and finding meaning in spaces big and small. I love adventure, and I love exploring. I like the idea of experiencing something I’ve never experienced before, but this is a different kind of adventure. It’s a reimagining of things that are old and usual. It’s looking at the Bible with fresh eyes and trying to search the world around us with a different perspective.
Sure, newness is the edge of the sun on any horizon, but this is the type of seeking that requires some digging. It embraces the brokenness instead of trying to shed it, reflects on it, and looks for what can be gleaned from it. Join me on this journey and help me gain a new perspective.
Those That Seek 