Attacking Lent With Weapons Of Peace And Prayer
It is never easy to face one’s inadequacies, especially for those of us who seem to have many. I write this as an expert in the field of inadequacies, for I have many. They are sinful tendencies that buzz about me as I walk this path of life, landing here and there like annoying flies. Admittedly, there are times when I am worn down by stress or when I am physically, spiritually, emotionally or mentally tired, that I simply let them land upon me and, lo and behold, I fall into sin.
How tiresome this process can become as I work so diligently to build up my walls of faith and post the guards of righteousness upon the ramparts only to have my defenses turned into mere straw by a strong wind! They say it takes 40 days to change a bad habit or a behavior. If that were the case, I would be a saint. However, it seems that those same old habits arise when I least expect them. There are times when it seems that it would be easier to throw in the towel, tell the Lord that we gave it our best shot and simply walk away.
But that is not our lot in this life. It is not in us, those who have tasted the sweet cup of redemption, to simply abandon our God and those around us who are also in need of healing from the almighty hand of God. It is not our choice to take an example of loss or failure in this spiritual life and turn it into the cause of the eternal loss of our souls. We cannot, though bloodied and bruised from the battle we wage with sin and death, simply walk from this hallowed field; for if we do so, the day will surely be won by that enemy who seeks to destroy all that is good in this world.
These are heavy words for heavy days, and yet in the maelstrom of it all we turn to see the son shining down as a beam of hope to light and guide our paths. It is in this enlightenment that we again take up our weapons of peace and prayer and turn to face the enemy once more.
It seems to me that a hypocrite is one who preaches one thing and does another. I have heard it said that the church is full of them. It could be said that I am among them for I write fervently about things of God and yet I find myself in this very human body susceptible to the weaknesses of humanity.
However, there is one strong difference between the hypocrite and one who pushes on in an effort to walk the path of God. It is that internal drive to continually push down those sinful tendencies in an effort to become holy sons and daughters of our Father.
Yes, it will be difficult for me to go yet again into the confessional and express the same sins that I have confessed in the past, and yet in that realization that I am dependent on God’s love, strength and mercy in this life, I find renewed vigor to begin anew. With my soul cleansed, I am able to raise my head above the confusion and press forward in the holy name of God.
This is our birthright. This is our most solemn duty. We come to grips with our inadequacies, express them, are forgiven them and are reconciled to the Lord and when we are in favor with our God then there are few barriers that can stand in our way.
My dear friends, embrace the ashes upon your forehead. Present yourselves to God in the confessional and start your journeys anew. Lift up one another in prayer that we might together walk hand in hand through these forty days in the desert. And once we have journeyed thus, we will all rejoice hand in hand on that day of Easter celebration so much so that they will truly know that we are Christians by our love.