03.12.09
Lent – What about now?
Now what! I need it now – not yesterday! I want it now! Now is not a good time. That’s never going to happen! No! I just can’t or won’t. Not in my lifetime. No way. No how!
Being anxious about the future or carrying regrets from the past can make it very difficult to stay in the present – the here and now. It is easy to be so busy that we lose any awareness of the present moment and its opportunities or graces. Being overwhelmed with life and just trying to survive can result in saying no to anything new. Gaining perspective is an important challenge for those who want to grow in maturity and holiness. Perspective can come from reflecting on one’s life, someone else’s life, as well as the challenges of the moment. Let me share an email I received:
“I was watching a program on TV last night. It was about the effect that the current economy is having on people and the changes in lifestyles. It focused on a family that hadn’t been living very comfortably. The mother made at least $70,000 per year before she lost her job over a year ago. Since then they’ve lost their home and are living in an apartment that they can’t really afford but the landlord is helping them out until they get back on their feet. The interviewer asked her if she had it to do over again what she would do differently. She responded that of course she would save more but that she would also tithe. I was floored (and inspired) by this. In the face of her current struggles she wished that when she had more she would have given more to others. There’s a homily in there!”
Lent is that invitation to learn to say “no” to those habits and behaviors that are harmful and to say “yes” to habits and behaviors that will lead to greater health, deeper faith, or more serenity and holiness. The first step is often the most difficult. There is no time like NOW!
03.04.09
Lent – What about energy and enthusiasm?
Living can be hard work and ever so tiring. Long, cold winters do not help. The anxiety about our economy can deaden our hopes and dreams and fill us with fear and dread. The daily demands and routines can tempt us to be on “auto pilot” and unaware of what is happening inside us or around us. We can dream about spring or summer or a different time and place but it still does not change the “here and now.” It is all too easy to be weary and down on life.
So where does your life come from? Who brings life to you? Who do you bring life to? Where does your energy and enthusiasm come from? Lent can give us the opportunity to take a closer look. What do you see?
It may be easier to identify what deadens your energy and life, e.g. other people, habits, your employer or coworkers, family, neighbors, politics, fears, past experiences, waiting for something to change while continuing to do the same thing over and over, illness, death. The list can go on and on. Can we eliminate or change or remove ourselves from any of these situations? What are the excuses we make to keep ourselves stuck in life-destroying situations? What we give energy to tends to have power over us. Who or what consumes your thoughts and feelings?
Enthusiasm comes from the Greek “en theos” which has to do with God which suggests to me that it is very important. We who choose to follow Christ want very much to be about God. We would be wise to be very aware of whom or what brings that rush of enthusiasm and energy into our lives and our world. It may be possible to purchase energy bars or drinks or “stuff” to give us a boost, but they tend to be short term and wear off. Where do you find that deep and sustaining source of energy and enthusiasm? Have you noticed that enthusiasm is contagious and changes people? Have you noticed that energy and enthusiasm can result from helping those in need or from exercising? It almost feels counter-intuitive to give away or use up our energy but it is how we are renewed and find more life and energy. It may be tempting to think we can “run out” and therefore we need to keep some in reserve. So often we can fear a scarcity and then the grace of enthusiasm and energy come into our lives and then there is abundance. God is about life and about abundance.
So where do you find energy and enthusiasm? It may be wise to express gratitude for that gift and to re-dedicate your commitment to those people, places, and habits that bring you life.
