The symbolism of doors or gates is rarely lost on any thinking/breathing human being: they provide entrance to familiar (and unfamiliar) territory, they hold promise of new beginnings, and they excite the imagination as to what wonders might be behind them. To me, capturing the front gate of my new residence through a zoom fish-eye lens has stretched familiar symbolism even further. The globe-li...ke image compels me to think of entering a whole new world - which is truly what I've done recently. My life has changed so much from what it was a mere 2 months ago. I've entered into a world of peace, of sanctuary, of creative freedom, of spiritual expansion, of intellectual growth and restorative healing. I love this gate and the other that I walk through multiple times each day/night. They remind me that though we may exist in one "world" for a time, there is always another world waiting for us where love and light pour forth and we are rejoined with our loving Creator.
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Our 2010 Lenten season has begun and with it comes the powerful opportunity to reflect on sacrifice and our personal relationship with Christ. Rather than looking at the usual material things we might choose to give up for Lent, i.e. certain foods, video games, TV, etc., there are many other (and likely more important) sacrifices we can make that can work powerfully to model us into Christ's loving likeness.

As we read our Bible, it becomes undeniably clear that the focus of Christ's life was not on the material things He went without, but rather the lessons He taught us by simply loving us. Surprisingly, though, when we stop to think on how great His love is for us, we often overlook that He lived His life without some very familiar things that we usually practice or encounter daily, i.e. complaint, judgment, hypocrisy, bitterness, envy, greed, gluttony, self-importance, procrastination, impatience, arrogance, worry, pride, self-righteousness, or self-pity (tragically, the list of our human failings is endless).

Imagine for a moment the changes that would happen to our world if we chose to sacrifice any of these sins during the Lenten season.  The co-worker who gets on our nerves because of their perceived aloofness might actually be someone who's been hurt so much by judgment and has created a habit of self-protection through aloofness - but if we let go of our habit of judging others, that person then might see in us the promise of Christ's love and be able to love and trust others in return.  By sacrificing our habit of self-pity, we might then be able to genuinely empathize with others and be able to meet people where their need is greatest.  And by sacrificing our bitterness, we might then be able to see with open eyes AND hearts the blessings that God brings to us every day.   

And what if we could then make a habit of these types of sacrifices that would last beyond those very short 40 days. By choosing to give up or sacrifice our sins (and let's face it, we have that choice) and genuinely reflecting on Christ and His sacrifice for us during each day of our own Lenten promises, we can truly let our Lenten sacrifices act as worship of Him. And we are made to worship Him … always.
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