At the end of February, we mark the beginning of lent, a forty-day countdown to Easter. During which we will go over the events of Jesus life that lead up to Easter week, reflect on Jesus’ death and resurrection while exploring its impact for us today. This is what we do in Lent, this is what we do every lent. Which made me think about the different things in life that we keep coming back to.
Do you ever struggle with doing the same thing over and over again? We can get bored of repeating the same things; familiarity breeds contempt. We can long for something new, exciting or just different.
Yet, the difficulties that we can experience with going over the same ground, again and again, is held in tension with the reality that the more we do something the better we get at it and the greater we can understand and appreciate it; repetition is the mother of study. What are the films, songs, books or activities that you keep going back to? Where are the places that you keep going to; who are the people that you continue to spend time with? These are things that we don’t just enjoy once, but that we keep enjoying, year in and year out.
Lent offers us this reminder and challenge. That if something is important to us, we need to keep coming back to it; to get the most out of it. While also being aware that at times we need to motivate ourselves to keep doing those things that we have done before.
The message of Easter does not change; the events of Jesus’ life remain the same and they are still life-changing. Rediscovering them each year allows us to be changed by the God of Easter and for us to continue to engage with the Lord as we grow and develop through life.
What are the things in life that you keep coming back to that sustain and refresh you?
What are the things in life that you struggle to keep doing or working at? How can you find new ways to engage with old commitments? What are the things that you need to keep working at?
God bless,
Alec
