I'm looking forward to pancakes tonight, but not to the start of lent tomorrow. An evening of pancakes followed by 40 days of 'denying' myself never fills me with anything but dread. I know it isn't compulsory but there is always a feeling that I should do something different during this time. I'm just so thankful that lent does not include Sundays and I am able to indulge at least once a week.
But is that really what lent is for? Perhaps what it is really all about is taking time to slow down, taking control of the things that are controlling us - whether eating too much, watching too much TV - and refocusing on the mission God has given us. Is that why Jesus went into the desert?
I am determined to do something for the 40 days of lent - reading and reflecting on Luke's Gospel using Tom Wright's 'Lent for Everyone' - but more than that, I want to learn to say, 'No, not now!' to the increasing pressure of the instant and 'Yes, right now!' to what God wants me to do each day.
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