Giving Up

We are now in the season of Lent and I have been interested in the postings, writings, quotes, and discussions surrounding the topic of "giving something up" for Lent. I find it interesting that some are vehemently against it, not because they are not people of great faith, but because they are. Simply put (too simply, I'm sure) they seem to find it shallow or counter-christian to give up an item such as chocolate or caffeine, or even television for the goal of drawing closer to Christ in abstinence of said item. Instead, they would advocate that to really be a christian we must be doing something that reaches outside of ourselves and that would be less self-serving, so we should give more to homeless shelters and caring for the poor.

At the risk of sounding "flaky"...I can see both sides and I agree wholeheartedly with both. So there! In a very small way I am reminded of the feelings I felt during the presidential election...I have very dear, dear friends, committed Christian friends, on both "sides" of the bi-partisan fence and I listened quietly (most of the time) as they all very eloquently laid out their reasoning why their candidate and way of thinking was what Christians should feel and believe. And frankly...they all had great arguments and I could see both sides. Of course, I ultimately had to make a choice for one side, and I did so and I'm glad for my personal convictions and the beautiful world that we live in that affords me an opportunity for that choice.

Back to the "giving up" issue in Lent....my friend, Karen, posted a quote on Ash Wednesday on Facebook that I have been thinking of frequently in the last 2 days. It's from Dark Night of the Soul: St. John of the Cross. "Humility is not a matter of beating ourselves up. It is not a question of judging ourselves as stupid or sinful, as hopeless and bad. Who are we to judge these things? Humility, for John [St. John of the Cross], is the gentle acceptance of that most tender place inside ourselves that throbs with the pain of separation from the Beloved. It is that deep knowingness that identification with the false self brings nothing but further separation. It is an initially reluctant dropping down into the emptiness and an ultimate experience of peace when we stop doing and rediscover simple being. It is the Sabbath of the soul when we heed the call to cease creating and remember that we are created."

It's the last sentence that I can't stop thinking about. "It is the Sabbath of the soul when we heed the call to cease creating and remember that we are created." I love the idea of this...but I am finding in my journey just now, part of my remembrance of being created is to create. I am feeling closer to God these days as I tap into my creative soul...as I painted yesterday with our son, Caleb, I felt so energized and "connected" to God. I started to remember the connection with God I felt when I was pregnant and certainly on the most "creative" journey of my life up to that point. Today I cleaned my office at our house and did some scrapbooking...and I felt so good and creative and "plugged in" to the source of my life, God.

So I encourage all of us to get to the place of "simple being" however we can get there. For you it might be giving something up for Lent...for me it might be connecting with my creator by remembering that I have been made in the image of God, and that makes me a creator as well. It's not for me to judge you...it's for me to love and encourage you on your journey towards the Holy.

Peace to you as "Give Up".