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Reflect
Today is the start of a journey that will take us into April. By the time we finish the journey it will be almost summer. No more chance of snow, no more really cold mornings and no more getting dark early!
Today, of course, is the start of Lent, the season which asks us to prepare for Easter.
We start Lent today by going to Church, receiving the ashes on our foreheads and by starting out on the things we have promised to give up, or maybe the extra things we have promised to take on.
By giving something up for Lent we remind ourselves that nothing in our lives comes before God. By having the ashes made into a cross on our foreheads, we are reminded that by baptism we belong to Christ.
Lent is a time to ask ourselves if we are putting anything ahead of our relationship with God. Are we ever too busy to pray? Are we ever to selfish or angry to do the right thing? Do we ever forget how much he loves us and how amaing it is that he made us?
Let's face it... life gets pretty busy. Whether you are a teenager at school or an adult at work, there are times when things get so hectic that we barely get a chance to think straight. It's not necessarily that we're doing the wrong things, or that we're doing things that don't matter, but the fact that we are often so busy means that we don't get a chance to stop and think about who we are and where we're heading in life... Who am I really? What actually matters to me? Am I being as good a person as I might be?
This is exactly the point of Lent.
Lent invades our busy lives and makes us stop and take stock. Lent tells us that if we are going to take Easter seriously and really believe that Jesus is risen from the dead, then we need to take a little bit of time to make sure that we're heading in the right direction...
Pray
Loving Father, you give us lives that are beautiful. Full of potential and full of joy. Help us to use this Lent to make the very best of those lives and to strip away those things that are holding usback from you and from being the loving, kind, amazing people you made us to be.
Give me the courage to reflect, the grace to pray, the love to reach out and the patience to wait patiently for the joy of Easter.
Amen
Challenge
Your challenge for today is simple...
Figure out what you are going to do for Lent, and make a start.
Maybe you're giving something up. Maybe you are trying to pray more. Maybe you are trying to be kinder or more forgiving. Or maybe something completely different. Either way... good luck.
Check back tomorrow :)
Footsteps through Lent © Arundel & Brighton Diocesen Youth Service 2009 | Diocese of Arundel & Brighton | Site & Photo Credits
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