Devotional 3-1-08

What Should I Do During Lent?

When I lived in England before emigrating to the United States I was a member of the Anglican Church, and the Lenten observance was strict. As a teenager I enjoyed the Palm Sunday celebration and looked forward to Easter Sunday, but I dreaded Good Friday. Perhaps it was because I was a stranger to the thought of death. No one close to me, neither family member nor friend, had died.

On Good Friday many stores closed and it was observed as a religious holiday (my, how times have changed). Always on Good Friday I had this feeling inside me, a feeling of impending doom, and I could not understand, it was something very negative.

Now, many years later I have come to a different perception, but I wonder, should we feel less than positive during Lent? Yes, I know it can be a time of self-denial, but can it not also be a proactive time when we make an effort to do something that will take dedication on our part and will have a positive result. Perhaps it could be as simple as spending more time in bible study or reaching out to cheer someone going through a difficult time. Is Lent the time we should make good on a volunteer job we have been intending to undertake for awhile? What is it that we can do and, just maybe, whatever it is will continue on beyond our glorious Easter.

"Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice" (Phil 4:4)

The LIGHT of God surrounds me,
The LOVE of God enfolds me,
The POWER of God protects me,
The PRESENCE of God watches over me,
Wherever I am, GOD is.

Jean Dean