Practicing On Purpose?
Early this morning as I drove by a Catholic Church, I was startled to see many cars in the parking lot! And then it dawned on me…today… Wednesday March 5th… is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. There was no doubt a special worship service to commemorate the beginning of Lent.
The forty-day period known as Lent, commemorates the forty days and nights Jesus spent in the wilderness. Whenever Lent became Lent, it usually was and is a special time for many to practice on purpose one’s commitment to Jesus in some special way perhaps not practiced at other times of the year. And yes, I get it. Shouldn’t we practice on purpose any time, any day regardless of the time of year? Yes, ideally, we should. But do we?
Early in my personal and pastoral journey, I ignored the idea of Lent, perhaps for various reasons. But in later years I have found that a focused time leading up to our celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection is captured my attention and is restoring to my soul. It’s like Advent to Christmas. I argue we need more focused times in our spiritual and church journeys with Jesus.
If Jesus needed focused time to prepare His heart for mission; if He needed to defeat the devil; and if He needed to mirror a fulfillment of what Moses did, I wonder as His follower, do I need more focused times? Do I need to fast, to sacrifice, to serve, to offer myself in new ways to Him? I can’t simply just judge others for what appears to be legalism. I fully realize our “leading of the Spirit” during Lent must be just that: the leading of the Spirit who calls us to something more focused in our journey. But it’s okay that the ‘time of the year’ reminds me about practicing on purpose.
How will the Holy Spirit call us to a more focused time with Jesus? It might be special times set aside for special emphasis of prayer; it might be fasting for victory over sin; it might be special service to a task; it might be special sacrifice for the sake of others. Who knows how the Holy Spirit will lead us? I don’t know today what I will do; but I will inquire of Him. He deserves and loves what I dedicate to Him on purpose. Maybe what I begin will become a lasting practice throughout the year!
Blessings,
Pastor Ross
