Lent's Crooked Path
“There are as many ways to pray as there are moments in life. Sometimes we seek out a quiet spot and want to be alone, sometimes we look for a friend and want to be together… Sometimes we want to say it with words, sometimes with a deep silence.
In all these moments, we gradually make our lives more of a prayer and we open our hands to be led by God even to places we would rather not go.” Henri Nouwen
For years, we have collected a variety of ways to journey through Lent, depending on your age, the year, your energy/time, and most definitely the current buoyancy of your faith. We give up, we take on, and we pray in the early light or late at night.
Beginning with all good intentions, it may not be long before a daily spiritual routine is scrambled, and frustrations rise. If a practice is not exercised as designed, is it cancelled? Is a whole plan discarded because you missed a couple of days? There are wise voices, past and present, offering encouragement and reminding us that the most important part of a spiritual practice is the journey itself.
The sacrifices we make and rituals we practice are ultimately intended to bind us closer to God and God to us.
I began this reflection with a quote on prayer from Henri Nouwen. It simply describes the diversity of spiritual practices. His words are a welcome reminder. He makes no promise of an easy journey, yet he offers little concern of failing a Lenten resolution.
Each of these 40 days presents opportunities to learn and grow. The path taken is neither smooth nor straight. That is the way to Jerusalem. Deep within our faith story, we know this road.
May we begin the road’s crooked path with curiosity and courage.
Carrie - as a 50+ year Protestant in a dozen or so denominations, I find the emphasis on 40 days of prayer very helpful. Also, I feel comforted in knowing that missing a day or two doesn’t weaken the discipline. Give us a push every day (and by us I mean me!).