If you are like me, by this point in your Lenten journey you’ve probably hit a few walls and stumbled on a few occasions. Though I always try to give up meat on Fridays, for example, I tend to forget about this Lenten discipline until I’m halfway through a ham sandwich.
The temptation when we hit a bump or a wall in our Lenten practices is to feel discouraged. I know I can sometimes feel like I let God down. But I know this couldn’t be further from the truth.
When I feel discouraged, I remember that God is a parent. As a father, I remember the times when I watched my boys first learn to walk. Each of them fell many times as they learned. I was never upset that they fell, I was simply delighted that they were trying to take steps at all.
I believe God feels the same way about us. Each time we fall, God is waiting there to catch us and encourage us to try again. We should give thanks in the midst of our failures, because we have a new opportunity to turn back to God, and that is what Lent is about in the first place.
Questions of the Day
- What has been the biggest struggle for you this Lent?
- How could you use this struggle to help you rely more on God’s mercy and love?
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
(Isaiah 40:31)
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