Call now! Will anyone respond to you? ~Job 5:1.
Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten season. The season of the sacrifice. No sacrifice greater that the sacrifice made on the Cross. What paltry, minuscule sacrifice might I make in offering? And what do offerings matter? To whom? Certainly, the Lord my God cares not for sacrifices. He gave his only Son so that the offerings and tidings could stop. For only through the Son of Man shall there be salvation, redemption, glory.
But, sacrifice is service. It is foundational to the human concept of love. A man sacrifices his life for love of country. A mother sacrifices her life for her child, simply being a vessel for that life risks life. But over and over a mother sacrifices. A generous and gracious soul might sacrifice their life for a total stranger from a place of true agape – the love of their brother.
So, am I not willing to sacrifice as an act of love, honor and praise?
Each Lenten season I try to sacrifice something in my nature that separates me from the best version of myself, the version that God draws me towards. This year, I shall make an offering of my reactivity. The quick response. The defensiveness. The activities that trigger reactions. This can and likely includes Facebook, Twitter, ‘news’. But, it is also that swift, conditioned response I might have to spam phone calls and bad drivers. Reactivity is a “stress” trigger. It activates the adrenaline system in my body. It keeps me in the fight-or-flight mode. If, in my leisure time, I spend it scrolling through Facebook or Twitter, how can I possible calm down and be at peace? I beg for peace in my prayers, yet I do so many thing innocuously that prevent my peace.
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each one. ~ Colossians 4:6.