Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are
Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me, and
Abbie Johnson Taylor

Lent, for those who may be unaware, is an approximately 7-week long season in the Christian faith where we commemorate Jesus’s journey to the cross. It’s often associated with giving up things, especially enjoyable things, like candy and alcoholic beverages. Those of the Roman Catholic faith are also instructed to abstain from eating meat each Friday of Lent.

The death of Jesus on the cross is one of the saddest, if not the saddest, event in human history. So why do I view the commemoration of His journey to the cross as a blessing?

I view Lent as a blessing because it serves as a reminder of how much God loves each and every one of us. as human beings, we all make mistakes and fall short of what we know we should be. And a lot of us are pretty hard on ourselves when we don’t measure up, either to the standards of others or our own. Unfortunately, we often tend to project our negative feelings about ourselves onto God, and believe he has those same negative feelings toward us as we have about ourselves. Jesus’s journey to the cross is a stark reminder of just how inaccurate those beliefs are.

Jesus is God’s Son. He is equal to God. He created all things, in partnership with the Father and the Holy spirit.

John 1-4 says: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was with God in the beginning.

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Even though Jesus was God, and He could do anything He pleased, including staying in Heaven forever, He chose to become a man, with all the limitations that living in a body impose. And above all that, He chose to die a criminal’s death, a death by crucifixion, which is one of the most painful ordeals a person can endure. And He did that to pay our debt of sin. God the Father didn’t force Him. He did it of His own accord. He did it so we could live eternally with Him in Heaven if we but accepted His gift of forgiveness and eternal life. He did it because He loved us that much.

So here’s a suggestion. Instead of giving up sweets or booze or other pleasures for Lent, when you start thinking of yourself negatively, bring to mind instead how much God loves you, and think about that instead. Who knows, you might just decide it’s an endeavor worth pursuing all year round. And just as a reminder of what Christ gave up to come here, check out Job 38 or Revelation 4-6.