Lent and Liberation?

I come from a Christian Tradition that never really valued Lent - giving something up for lent... pah,,, tokenism

Suspect that we were often not far from the truth there

but just because people do Lent in a trivial way doesn't mean that it can't be helpful

and I'm just beginning to learn that.. I'm a slow learner

Well, Maggi (as ever) is posting some excellent stuff on Lent again this year and, as ever, she's got me thinking.

I hadn't done anything to my house since I had moved in (too much time worrying about the PhD - I wasn't doing much about it just worrying; not the brightest spark in the plug I'm afraid).  Anyway, the PhD is out of the way now and I'm gradually looking around my house, thinking about what to do to make it home and make it welcoming; a place of peace, comfort, stillness, conversation etc, etc.

Now the tricky thing here is that house furnishings have become a matter of style - you throw out your old sofa when it's out of fashion (or at least that's what the TV tells you to do!)  And this can all get under the skin, and work in us at a tacit level (where we can't test out it's value).

Of course I'll buy an Arbour for the garden, some new plants - they'll look nice (and I can afford them), of course I'll have a new sofa - old one's looking dated now, doesn't really fit with the curtains and isn't as comfortable as it might be, new colour scheme would work well here and what if I got the builder to knock that wall down - it would create a bit of space in the hall and be more welcoming, then I could get the stairs re-done and "Oh! that mint colour bath suite", and ... hmm,,, a sofa bed might add to my flexibility in entertaining families... the list goes on and on..

I could afford some of it but is that the point?

Maggi's posts got me thinking that what I'd do this Lent is delay any decisions about purchases until I've prayed and thought a bit more.  So that I can work out which is stuff that will make a difference and which is stuff that will just be trendier, nicer, more-now stuff.  It'll give me time to work out where it's OK to do something because it'll be nice (I don't think that God wants us to live in gloomy homes) and where doing something for style's sake will be another surrender to our consumer age and use (abuse) the dwindling resources of our world.

I hope that thinking this way won't get me overly wrapped up in 'things' but will be a time of liberation and give me a chance to dwell with God awhile and get my priorities shaped by His priorities.  I hope that it'll give me time to be freed from service to this age's tastes and develop a taste for "whatever is lovely, pure, admirable..." and we could add whatever is simple, sustainable and doesn't steal from the poorest.  I hope that it will be a Lent where I get to see things aright, from God's perpsective.

Do follow the link to Maggi's posts, but before you do, promise to come back and share with me how you will allow Lent to be a liberation to you.

Comments

[jason77]

Very inspiring post...I usually use Lent as a time to recommit or refocus my pilgrimage. I think the giving up something is kind of shallow overall, a seen by man sort of thing.

[Caroline]

I agree with you Jason, that the 'giving up for lent' is shallow

until it becomes part of a process of re-examining our relationship with consumerism (Mammon?) then it seems to me to be touching on some really crucial issues of our pilgrimage!