Easter // Preparation // Lent
The first post of a blog should be epic and grand. This is my first impression. By the time you get to this sentence, you will have already passed judgement on me and decided what you think of me. By the time you are here, you are curious as to where this is going.
Ordinarily, I strive for perfection and hope for average. Ordinarily, I am weak in the strong arms of a sweet talker. Ordinarily, I imagine myself strong when I am below average in stature and never workout. Since this is my real blog and I do believe I will share this with the world, I suppose I should write something worth reading. I'm just rambling--
I've been thinking a lot about lent, since we are already seventeen days into lent, I think it is too late to start this year, but next year I will be doing a photo-a-day challenge. Every day of lent, I will challenge myself to take a picture of something I am grateful for. The challenge will alter my perspective and give me creative inspiration to persevere. At the end of forty days, I will make a collage of some sort with the forty pictures. So why am I telling you about something that will not be occurring for another year? Because I want to talk about holidays and preparation.
It's not Christmas anymore and so the holiday rants have died down for the most part. In a few weeks, the blog posts complaining about sugar-coated eggs and chocolate bunnies will ensue in avoidance of talking about the difficult problems with a consumer society celebrating once-religious holidays. Before we set the table with our fine china and dress in hues of pastels, I want to address holiday preparation. We all obviously know the frantic scurrying and pre-Christmas mentality that the world dons in preparation for the celebration of our savior's birth (or begrudgingly buying presents for family member you never talk to while stressing out over the value of newly budding friendships while shopping in a mall full of other shoppers similarly preoccupied and concerned). In case you haven't caught on, I find the corruption of the holy days cringe-worthy.
What do sugar dipped marshmallows in the shape of baby springtime animals and the atoning death and resurrection of the fully God and fully man, savior of mankind have in common? That's a good question, because, quite frankly, I cannot see, but a vague connection perhaps due to the very overarching theme of creation or spring, but they do not belong in such close proximity. Sugar-coated bunnies. Savior of the world.
We focus a lot on the material part of the holidays and when we aren't we focus on the ritual. It takes a lot for us to actually focus on the reason for the holiday because somehow it has all just become habit... "He is risen" "He is risen indeed". The ceremonial aspect of religion is important, but it is also important to establish a relationship with the Lord and savior, our Lord and savior.
Lent can be ceremonial, but it can also be spiritual. Lent is a time of fasting before the time of feasting. The cycle of fasting and feasting is highly underrated. Fasting is discipline and all part of Ecclesiastes 3's cycle. There is a time for fasting and a time for celebrating. Fasting is the time to get closer to the Lord. And the feasting is so much better after fasting.
So, I know it's almost two weeks into lent, but consider fasting from something until Easter.
Ordinarily, I strive for perfection and hope for average. Ordinarily, I am weak in the strong arms of a sweet talker. Ordinarily, I imagine myself strong when I am below average in stature and never workout. Since this is my real blog and I do believe I will share this with the world, I suppose I should write something worth reading. I'm just rambling--
I've been thinking a lot about lent, since we are already seventeen days into lent, I think it is too late to start this year, but next year I will be doing a photo-a-day challenge. Every day of lent, I will challenge myself to take a picture of something I am grateful for. The challenge will alter my perspective and give me creative inspiration to persevere. At the end of forty days, I will make a collage of some sort with the forty pictures. So why am I telling you about something that will not be occurring for another year? Because I want to talk about holidays and preparation.
It's not Christmas anymore and so the holiday rants have died down for the most part. In a few weeks, the blog posts complaining about sugar-coated eggs and chocolate bunnies will ensue in avoidance of talking about the difficult problems with a consumer society celebrating once-religious holidays. Before we set the table with our fine china and dress in hues of pastels, I want to address holiday preparation. We all obviously know the frantic scurrying and pre-Christmas mentality that the world dons in preparation for the celebration of our savior's birth (or begrudgingly buying presents for family member you never talk to while stressing out over the value of newly budding friendships while shopping in a mall full of other shoppers similarly preoccupied and concerned). In case you haven't caught on, I find the corruption of the holy days cringe-worthy.
What do sugar dipped marshmallows in the shape of baby springtime animals and the atoning death and resurrection of the fully God and fully man, savior of mankind have in common? That's a good question, because, quite frankly, I cannot see, but a vague connection perhaps due to the very overarching theme of creation or spring, but they do not belong in such close proximity. Sugar-coated bunnies. Savior of the world.
We focus a lot on the material part of the holidays and when we aren't we focus on the ritual. It takes a lot for us to actually focus on the reason for the holiday because somehow it has all just become habit... "He is risen" "He is risen indeed". The ceremonial aspect of religion is important, but it is also important to establish a relationship with the Lord and savior, our Lord and savior.
Lent can be ceremonial, but it can also be spiritual. Lent is a time of fasting before the time of feasting. The cycle of fasting and feasting is highly underrated. Fasting is discipline and all part of Ecclesiastes 3's cycle. There is a time for fasting and a time for celebrating. Fasting is the time to get closer to the Lord. And the feasting is so much better after fasting.
So, I know it's almost two weeks into lent, but consider fasting from something until Easter.
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