Lent Happens!

Today is Ash Wednesday, the end of Mardi Gras, and the beginning of Lent. It begins the traditional season of penance in preparation for the upcoming season of Easter when we welcome the New Life of the Resurrection.

For some people, this is the season of resolutions, much like the beginning of the New Year. This is the time to give up things (candy, desserts, extra helpings at dinner -- maybe with the underlying motivation to loose some undesired weight--or maybe some bad habits, unkind thoughts, temper tantrums or whatever else we can think of).

For others, it may be a time to add some extra things to our lives, like visiting someone who is a shut-in, stopping at the nursing home to say hello to a friend, picking up groceries for a neighbor. All these are good things, and can have a beneficial effect upon our lives by helping us to overcome the self-centeredness that we all struggle with.

However, for me, LENT IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO ME. In my experience, I have gained more, grown more and been transformed more when I have welcomed each day, each person, each situation and each circumstance with open arms and an open heart. In this way, I have found that I am more ready to recognize, acknowledge and accept the God who is among us both in myself and in others. I don't need to sit down and try to figure out what I'm going to DO this Lent. I don't have to set up MY plan for Lent. I simply need to open myself to God's plan each day as it unfolds before me. Most of the time, God surprises me. And in these surprises I am challenged, stretched and transformed.

All I need to DO is Let God Be God, and Let Lent Happen.