Lent Revisited

I did a post over Lent last year, about things that, were I the kind of person who gives things up, I would consider actually giving up for Lent. This year, I'm going to make suggestions to others who claim to be Christians on things that I would really really like for them to give up.

• For Lent, I would really like it if you gave up trying to control my body.  You don't like abortion? Fine.  You think birth control pills are evil? Crazy .  . . but whatever. How about this . . . instead of trying to ban things and end things and make things illegal, how about you concentrate all this energy and effort into removing the reasons that lead people to seek birth control in the first place.
  
  Fund research to make giving birth safer.  Help to change laws to create a smoother path to adoption. Poor all your "Let's Bomb the Abortion Clinic" money into a charitable fund to support women during their pregnancies.  Find ways to make the world a place worth bringing a child into. Fund research into safer birth control. Fund vasectomies. Do positive things instead of just making laws to limit people's choices.
  
• For Lent, I would really like for you to focus on YOUR relationship with Christ and not worry about other people.  According to the Bible, Christ loves you and wants a relationship with you.  Now, how would you feel if you loved someone and whenever you talked to them, all they could do was be angry about how no one else loves you?  They just bitched and complained because no one was on your side.  It would get old.  After a while, you'd start to feel really lonely because you don't want to hear about everyone else.  You just want this one person to love you.
  
  So instead of spending all your time thinking about "Jesus's enemies," spend your time thinking about Jesus.  Talk to him. Sing to him. And better yet, listen to him.  Read what he had to say about how to live and how to treat people.  And don't just think about how it applies to others.  Christianity is founded on the idea that everyone can have a personal relationship with their savior. Focus on that. On YOUR relationship.
  
• For Lent, I would really like it if you stopped excluding people. When Jesus was on the cross, he wasn't just dying for your sins and the socially acceptable sins of others.  He was dying for everyone because he loved everyone. Everyone.  You, the homosexuals, the people of other faiths, the rapists, the child molesters, the commies, the liberals, the conservatives, the rich, the poor, the lazy, the driven, the greedy, the drug addicts, the whores, everyone. All of us.
  
  The message that you are supposed to be giving to people is one of love and hope.  Jesus loves them. He has open arms for them.  Many churches have a call to alter song called "Just as I am."  Not "when I am better" or "when I'm someone worthy." Everyone is worthy. Everyone is wanted. No matter what you see as a sin, you have to keep in mind that you are a sinner as well. Not less of a sinner than others. There is no distinction. All are loved.

So really, what I would like for you to give up for Lent is your negatives.  It's not easy.  It's something I've been trying to do for a while now and it's hard as hell. Everyday, I see stuff that makes me so angry and, for a while, I let myself just boil over in that rage.

I shouldn't though. It does me no good.  It just wastes energy I could be using on other things, positive things that could give me positive results. People like to throw around the "you reap what you sow" bit.  Most of the time when we say that, it seems to be with a little bit of delighted, self-righteous spite . . . because we're always thinking of other people . . . people we see as horrible . . . when we say it.

Just for a second though, apply it to yourself.  You reap what you sow.  What are you sowing?  Are you sowing positive things? Are you sowing love and hope?  Are you sowing friendship and trust? Or are you sowing anger and bitterness and intolerance?

For Lent, if you must make a change in your life, sow some love.  Sow some love.  It could yield you some amazing results.