It's Ash Wednesday once again. A new year, a new 40 day period to think about. This year, I have been working on being more intentional about meditation, trying to calm my mind and improve my mental health while also focusing more on my faith (not religion, but rather, my personal relationship with God.) So each day I have a little topic that pops into my head that I think about that day. I have been sharing on and off, but through the next 40 days, I will share what I think may be interesting to others. Here is today, Ash Wednesday's thoughts.
My mediation for this Ash Wednesday is a quote from Gustave Mark Gilbert, who remarked on evil following the Nuremburg Trials;
"Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy."
John 11:35 Jesus began to weep.
Jesus became human to share in our human experience. He felt everything we feel, including empathy, grief, and pain, along with joy, love and fulfillment. As we enter the season of Lent, my son-in-law suggested that instead of giving up chocolate or coffee or social media for the 40 day observance, maybe we should give up bitterness or apathy or greed. I have been thinking about that, and I love that idea of addressing something within that is deeper and more meaningful.
I am not going to go into my personal decision. I am just going to encourage you to consider what you can focus on during Lent. Go beyond the trivial, and really dig deep and think about what you need to work on within your own faith life. What fruit of the spirit is weak? What sin keeps tripping you up? What do you wish you could change about yourself that would bring you closer to God? The next 40 days are in front of you. Who do you want to be on Easter Sunday?
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