Bank for Native Missionaries: 11$ as of February 23, 2007

So again, we just entered the season of Lent, it’s just been a few days (I’m never sure if it’s on Ash Wednesday or …). If I would still live in Saskatchewan, I would have heard about it, but here in Montreal, I only had my memory to remind me. It’s not like I WANT to remember it’s Lent, but I remember that it was last year that Lent started to make me think. Maybe not Lent in itself, but what people do for Lent. And obviously, I had written what was on my mind on my blog, the one that used to be on blogspot. So today I found the two posts I had written there and I found myself challenged by thoughts I had a year ago.

Oh… am I doing something special for Lent this year? I know I have no real good motivations behind me, but I won’t eat chocolate bars until this Lent season is over. Why? Simply because I have been eating Mars bars like crazy since … a couple months. It’s not that I want to lose weight or anything, it’s just something I thought I should do for a while and hre’s a new beginning, so why not doing it? Does anybody doing something for Lent?

I don’t think I could expand my thoughts better than I did a year ago about Lent, so click here if you want to know more click right here…

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Year Round Lent

Lent is good, but it makes me think, I want lent to be all year round for me, not only a 40 day thing. I am not saying that I want to give up chocolate or going to the theatre or else for ever. But I would like lent to be a general principle in my life.

It’s a pretty strange, or maybe a shameful feeling for Christians to say to their unbeliever friends, “Oh, sorry, I don’t eat chips, it’s lent” but I feel almost ashamed sometimes to answer questions coming from fellow Christians asking me why I don’t eat a snack like them, or why I got up early that morning or etc. Because I know that they’d think that I’m a bit odd, or a bit too spiritual (I know I am odd, but my heart isn’t godly at all). I think it’s sad that I fear that Christians will look down on me, or won’t understand me because I am trying, sometimes, to be godly and act upon the knowledge I have and what God puts on my heart to do. It’s not that I care too much about what people think of me (although I do), but it’s sad that lots of Christians think it’s strange, it’s abnormal or legalistic to be wanting to follow in the footsteps of Christ in ways that are higher than praying before meals, going to church and being nice to people. That’s why I feel “ashamed” sometimes, I feel like I’m “doing” lent out of season and people don’t understand why.

I want lent to characterize the way I live, I want to be able to give up the usual comforts I grew up with, like peanut butter on my toasts and having many clothes so I can save money to help those who don’t even have half of what I possess. I want to give up my rights to be first and to get even, to shine forth Jesus’ attitude and open doors to speak about Him to unbelievers. I want to give up a littlebit of my sleep every night to pray for God’s people. I want to give up wasting my time watching movies or etc. in order to spend time with God or care for someone. I want to be able to “suffer” a little bit in little ways like that, everyday of my life. Isn’t it the way Jesus lived? Isn’t the way His followers are called to live? “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31); Never be lacking any zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Rom.12:11-12); He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work… that he may have something to share with those in need” (Eph. 4:2 “… be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Eph. 6:1 “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Sam. 24:24) and so on.
I hope I can be “doing” lent all year round, so I can “suffer” with Christ somehow, so I can know Jesus better, so I can do the right things instead of doing the fun things and stay comfortable, not understanding Jesus calls me for a deeper intimacy, a stronger love, a greater commitment, a higher ministry. It’s my hope, but really I am not living lent everyday, it’s more a roller coaster thing, but I hope I can grow and learn from the heart to follow Christ with my cross upon my shoulder.Nota Bene: Please, do not believe I am against having fun or eating ice cream or don’t think I’m saying we have no rights of our own. This is what I think God calls me to live like, I will enjoy a movie with friends and etc. at times too, but I believe that we should read God’s Word and pray He’d open our eyes to understand what He wants for us. Let Jesus tell you how you are to follow Him, not Gabe. But obviously, since we read the same Bible, we’ll find the same principles. I hope you’ll seek to practice lent all year round!