The Lenten Season

This year I have decided to observe Lent. This is a first for me. My family has no history of acknowledging the Lenten season. Noel Piper's book Treasuring God in Our Traditions gave me the idea of using the weeks before Easter to focus upon God.

Noel says that Lent can provide several weeks of considering God's work in our lives through Jesus. She explains it in this way: "Tradtionally, Lent is a season of sober, realistic reflection on our own lives and our need for a Savior. It is a time for turning away from anything that has kept us from God and for turning or returning to him. It is a time to pray that God will renew our love for him and our dependence on him."

Noel suggests that it can be helpful to have some kind of fast, from a food or an activity. I have decided that during the Lenten and Easter season I will have a break from my blog. I will still be moderating comments, but I will not be making any more posts until after Easter. Noel points out that fasting is "not just turning away from something for a while, but it is also turning toward God." She suggests that the extra time "added" to our lives through fasting can be used for various God-centered activities such as:

• Considering the depth of our sin and the heights of God's love for us in Christ.
• Remembering Jesus' wilderness temptation and considering our own temptations
• Praying for people we find difficult, or for the salvation of a family member

My life at this time is very full. I have many new circumstances to adjust to, some of which are difficult. The Diploma of Education I am completing has a heavy work load. Dave and I are getting used to having a long distance relationship, rather than seeing a lot of one another. I am trying to work out how to glorify God in the midst of this. For that purpose I need time with God to praise him, concentrate on his character and works, repent of sin and seek transformation.

I also need God's help to sort out my priorities in relation to family, church, domestic concerns, study and prayer. At this time, I am sure that blogging is not at the top of the list of God's priorities for me. I hope that I will come back to blogging refreshed and able to have a clearer focus in relation to what God wants me to achieve through my blog. May God bless you with a deeper understanding of his character this Easter.