Tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the season of Lent. I see Lent as something of a "spiritual reboot". Like the next person, my devotional life can get dry or condensed to the point where I feel like I can't hear God's voice. I put other things first and end up giving God my "leftovers" at the end of the day, when God deserves my "first fruits", as the Bible says.
Even though it's not in the Protestant tradition, I like the idea of giving something up to remind myself of Christ's sacrifice. I also like to add something to "put on Christ" (Romans 13:14). I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do this year, exactly. Last year, I gave up Facebook, but that seemed too easy, in a way.
When I went to meet a friend for lunch last week, she confronted me about my penchant for running late, and that's when it struck me. I want to give up being late for Lent! I know that sounds crazy and might sound like I'm working on self-improvement (like the person who wants to lose weight and so decides to give up desserts for Lent). But be that as it may, the truth is I could never be punctual in my own strength. Giving up tardiness will without a doubt make me rely on God continually for the next 40 days.
Running late is just so ingrained in me. I've often attributed my tardiness to my Hispanic heritage, and I genuinely believe that it plays a part. A recent article in the Washington Post shed some light as to what makes a person perpetually late. I can't remember all of the categories but "the producer" and "the deadliner" definitely applied to me. "The producer" is compelled to squeeze too much into too little time, trying to check things off their list before they move on to the next thing. "The deadliner" gets something of an adrenaline rush with a time crunch, that makes them feel efficient and effective, at least until they get to where they're going. :}
These categories helped me to analyze what makes me tick (see clock picture with the warped view of time ;) and I hope this understanding can help me in my quest for Lenten change. As a side benefit, my punctuality can communicate to those around me that I respect and love them and value their time as much as mine.
In terms of adding something for Lent, I plan on reading through the gospels, along with members of the praise team. We want to revisit all that Jesus said and did when he walked the earth.
How are you marking the season of Lent? Are you adding something, subtracting something? It's not "too late" :) to choose an activity or discipline for the coming 40 days. Whatever you do, may it serve as a reminder to follow the Savior more closely than ever.
