As Mardi Gras 2012 comes to an end, I am here to tell you that I did not attend 1 parade..not 1 ! And I am okay with that. I have done enough "parading" in my younger days....BOY do I have stories to tell, but that is a whole different blog post! As Mardi Gras ends...so begins the season of Lent. A time to set aside some time of quiet to ask the Lord what he wants you to do.To see if the Spirit of God guides you to something. Today I read this in a blog and thought that it pretty much sums up what Lent is all about....
Millions of people are getting in their last partying before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, a much more serious time when ashes are applied with the traditional words, "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return."
Before we turn to dust and blow away, what good are we going to do in this world? The forty days of Lent create a season to positively answer that question since it's a time focused on spiritual growth and simplicity-a kind of spring cleaning.
Simply giving something "up" for Lent-like candy or alcohol or TV-might be a good thing. But it's more useful to give something "back" through positive acts of mercy and charity, helping the poor, doing volunteer work, giving a helping hand to family and friends who are in difficult situations. We can use this time to take stock of the values we promote and how we live our lives.
What will each of us give back rather than give up? That decision is up to each of us. I hope that this Lenten season becomes a time of spiritual discipline and reflection on what really creates the good times.
Those few paragraphs gave me an Ah Ha moment. So instead of the traditional "giving up" something for Lent, I have decided to "give back". My sister's best friend, Bobbi Jo, was in a terrible car accident on Sunday. She is still in ICU in a drug induced coma with multiple injuries that will require several surgeries. So this year for Lent, I am giving one hour of my day spent in prayer for Bobbi Jo. I know she has a long road ahead of her, but I will be positive and pray that when my 40 days of prayer ends, she will be recovered and back to living her life as she has always lived it...as a faith filled woman, full of love and life!
This is for you Bobbi Jo....
"A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl."
Stephan Hoeller
Millions of people are getting in their last partying before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, a much more serious time when ashes are applied with the traditional words, "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return."
Before we turn to dust and blow away, what good are we going to do in this world? The forty days of Lent create a season to positively answer that question since it's a time focused on spiritual growth and simplicity-a kind of spring cleaning.
Simply giving something "up" for Lent-like candy or alcohol or TV-might be a good thing. But it's more useful to give something "back" through positive acts of mercy and charity, helping the poor, doing volunteer work, giving a helping hand to family and friends who are in difficult situations. We can use this time to take stock of the values we promote and how we live our lives.
What will each of us give back rather than give up? That decision is up to each of us. I hope that this Lenten season becomes a time of spiritual discipline and reflection on what really creates the good times.
Those few paragraphs gave me an Ah Ha moment. So instead of the traditional "giving up" something for Lent, I have decided to "give back". My sister's best friend, Bobbi Jo, was in a terrible car accident on Sunday. She is still in ICU in a drug induced coma with multiple injuries that will require several surgeries. So this year for Lent, I am giving one hour of my day spent in prayer for Bobbi Jo. I know she has a long road ahead of her, but I will be positive and pray that when my 40 days of prayer ends, she will be recovered and back to living her life as she has always lived it...as a faith filled woman, full of love and life!
This is for you Bobbi Jo....
"A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl."
Stephan Hoeller
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