by Christine Sine
Relinquish, let go, give up. These are the words that reverberate in my mind as a begin Lent this year. For love of God, for love of the world, but also for love of self, and my own wellbeing, what am I willing to give up? In this season of life, and in this stage of my faith journey what do I need to give up to continue growing towards the wholeness God desires for me. These, for me, are the serious questions of Lent, but will I take them seriously or will I instead focus on giving up something trivial and unimportant.
Lent is about relinquishment. It confronts us with our mortality, our vulnerability, our ambitions. It confronts us with how seriously we will follow Jesus into the future. I think of this as I reread the story in Luke 4:1-13 of Jesus sent out into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He is tempted by the desire for food and physical satisfaction, by the desire for power and wealth, and by the temptation to worship other gods, than the one he knows to be the creator of the universe and the only one worth bowing down to.
Our own temptations often take on a similar guise. Maybe we don’t spend 40 days in the desert, and maybe the devil doesn’t appear to us as dramatically, but throughout our lives we are tempted to satisfy physical needs not just for food but for clothing, housing and other material goods, often in extravagant ways. We are also tempted to accumulate wealth and power for ourselves and not for sharing with those in need around us. We are tempted too, to worship in ways that don’t put our creator God at the centre. Bound up in this is a temptation to create our own kingdoms of influence and have others worship us.
I think sometimes we only become aware of how much we have succumbed to temptation when we need to give something up. I ponder this as I launch my podcast, the Liturgical Rebels. At the same time I sense God is asking me to give up other aspects of the ministry I have been involved in for the last 20+ years. It’s hard to do that. Hard to let go, hard to rethink how we spend our time when we still enjoy what we do. I wonder if Jesus found it hard to let go of being a carpenter and the security of a steady income, and a stable life without the threats of violence and death.
At this point in time I still feel I am out in the wilderness considering what this new stage of life could look like. I love interviewing people and listening to their stories. I love encouraging people to consider fresh and nourishing ways to draw close to God but it takes time and something must go. I covet your prayers as I use this season of Lent to reshape my thinking for the future.
Let go
Says the whisper
In my mind.
Let go
Of what has had
It’s season of life
And productivity
And is now ready to rest.
Let go.
Let the nourishment
Of the old,
Provide life for the new.
Let go,
Stay close to your inner world,
Travel slowly through the hidden corridors
Of your heart.
Listen quietly not for answers,
But for the questions
Hiding beneath the stress,
Of your uncertainty.
Do not be afraid,
Of what you will uncover,
Of what you might relinquish,
If you become honest
With yourself.
Let go,
Listen.
It is a sacred art,
uncovering holy moments,
Divine encounters
That draw us
Into intimacy with God.
(c) Christine Sine.