Spectrum

As I write this, I can look out my window and see the neighborhood bathed by gentle late-afternoon sunlight. Though there's still a picturesque snow cover on the ground, a fair amount has melted this day. What I see now, would would not have inferred from the weather this morning, when there was cloud cover and, in the early hours, cold-weather precipitation. March 3 has been a mild but effective example of Twain's old adage that if one doesn't like the weather in New England, one need only wait a minute for it will change.

Our emotions in Lent should be like this. As we examine our hearts, seeking renewal and pursuing repentance, we should open ourselves up to the full range of our feelings, allowing the Spirit to enter in and work its will within us. The stereotype of Lent as a time to be dour is unfortunate if only because it implies that amending our lives and turning back to God should be marked by sadness. While there may indeed be sadness as we acknowledge that which we have done that we should not have done and that which he have left undone that we should have done, there should also be surprise, wonder, pain, awe, and, hopefully, at some point, joy -- for the God who created us, the God whom we have ignored or turned against us, the omnipotent, omniscient God who doesn't actually need us, is waiting for us with open arms, a loving heart, and endless grace.

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