his heart

I've never given up anything for Lent. The 40 days leading up to Easter have never been stressed growing up so I never gave it much thought. But since I'm at Calvary and in a different place this Lenten season, I've been challenged to do some things differently.

Linda, my boss, plays a very prominent role in the church because Calvary has taken quite a drastic turn from it's previous life. The majority of members are elderly white couples who stuck around when everyone else left as the city fell apart. The other members are the children that HIS Heart ministers to from the inner city, the ones I'm working with by putting feet to the Gospel. Linda serves on staff as the missions minister, but she's been a member her for over 40 years and has a deep connection to the church as well as the surrounding area.

I've been able to discuss Lent with her a few times, and it's been such a challenging few weeks. She views this time of Lent as "spring training", preparation to observe and rejoice over Easter--how the Lord sacrificed His life for us and rose again. Those days during Lent can be a time to really reflect on His gift, without legalistic incentive, but as a time of sacrifice and the chance to really focus on what Easter really means.

So I've made a few changes in my life for this period, and I've been able to really grow and benefit from the dependency it's pushed me to toward Christ. But I will admit the challenges are ever present as I try to lean not on my own understanding, it's easy to sacrifice the little things in our daily routine that seem insignificant at the time but actually add up to have a large effect on our habits and lifestyle. I am learning that firsthand. This isn't about rules or guidelines to follow, but about the heart. Where our heart rests our lives follow. And the more time I spend during these 40 days with Christ the more I recognize how powerful our heart can be in determining our actions, for good or for bad.

So Lent is a learning process. And work is challenging. But all for good, something I'm excited about more and more each day. It's going by so quickly, and our wedding is getting closer and closer! I can't help but be eager for all that's in store.