Welcome to February. February is a unique time—it is the shortest month of the year, the groundhog is supposed to predict just how long winter will last, the days are getting longer but the temperatures seem to be holding onto winter’s cold , we take the time to recognize those who are dear to us at Valentine’s day and this year the season of Lent begins in the middle of the month.. It is also Black History Month in which we are reminded to honor those people of color who have not been treated fairly by their time in history. That is a great deal to pack into a mere twenty-eight days.
So where does that put us as Christians? Lent is the time when Jesus completely unplugged. He was alone …at least in the physical sense . It was a time in which he became aware of his future and during the process willing to accept what his future was to be. He shed himself of worldly things and was able to come to the understanding of what his purpose was.
Today, many choose to give up some worldly things for Lent in order to concentrate upon those things more spiritual, unplug themselves. But if truth be told, unplugging oneself from one’s personal desires can also become an opportunity for us to see those things outside ourselves. When we become too self-absorbed, we do not see the needs and struggles of others. Therefore, Lent can become a time of deep personal reflection but also a time to use our energies in positive ways to help others.
Putting aside some of our personal wants can free us to look at the world around us with a different lens. Maybe that is what Lent is truly about. Jesus during his time in the wilderness came to more fully understand what his ministry was to be and what was necessary to achieve the goals he was called by His Father to achieve. He came out of the wilderness looking at his world through a different lens and that had the profound effect that we still accept as the basis for our faith. Maybe that is the message of Lent for all of us.