Deepening my relationship with God this Lent

Last Wednesday, February, 18th, was “Ash Wednesday” which marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is “a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means “spring.” The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to die for us and our salvation. Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of themselves for others.” Therefore, in light of this period, I did some self-examination and felt like God was telling me to devote this time to invest in my relationship with him.  I want to be able to experience God’s love during this period more and more deeply than ever.  

During this Lent period, I am working on setting aside adequate time to reflect more upon the sacrifice Christ made for me, His death, as well as the gift He gives me which is eternal life in Him.  There is no way to repay God or to prove myself worthy of such a gift. Although many times I stumble and fall, the Lord can never let go of me.  I am hoping that this will be the time for me to give up excuses and give in to time. Over the last couple weeks, I have felt like I need to live my life more fully as God intended it for it is a gift from Him.  A recent discussion with a close friend of mine about making excuses made me realize that I actually CAN make time for some of the things I want to do whether it is exploring a new hobby, reading a book , volunteering or keeping up with my blog. Most of the times, I am too tired to do anything, I don’t have enough time in a day, or don’t have the energy to engage in or get involved in a certain activity. These are some of the few areas I am seeking the Lord to help me grow in. My prayer is that these 40 days will prepare me not only for Easter but also for the joy of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection.