Happy Lent
There are lots of folk out there who gripe about Lent, and having just been bored by those who gripe about Valentine's Day, I'm done with by that sort of negativity. "You should show your love for your significant other all year round, not on one day"....."You should give up stuff totally if it is bad for your health/mind, not just for 40 days." Yes, you're right. But that's not the point of either of those celebrations, commercialised and twisted or not.
For me, acknowledging Lent is a very personal positive thing. I could go into the reasons why Lent is a good thing to observe and remember from a Christian point of view but lots of other bloggers have done it a lot better than I could....
Rachel Held Evans: 40 ideas for Lent
Sarah Bessey: In which [it is lent] words need flesh
For years I have tried to take up positive actions as well as give things up. Last year I took labels off myself that I had put on myself, or had put on me. These things may have looked minor on the surface, but my self esteem improved as a result.
In that same vein, and following some ace teaching on my course last week, I am planning on looking at unhealthy belief systems that I live my life by, and that all things being equal, I shouldn't. I originally intended blogging my way through a list of 10 systems about myself, and 10 unhealthy beliefs I have about God. I have changed my mind. As much as I want to be open and honest in this blog, I think the next 40 days are going to be really hard as I try to strip back these systems. Plus I doubt very much I'll solve anything so I plan on just blogging a review at the end. I also doubt I'll get through 20!
So here are some examples of unhealthy beliefs I hold about myself:
I am afraid lots of people I love will drop dead, because it has happened before.
I am wrong to not want children
I shouldn't be proud of my education and wanting to pursue more learning
Unhealthy belief systems I have about God:
If I rest or take a day off, I am letting God down by not constantly making every moment count.
I will disappoint God if I don't do something 'worthwhile' with my life
God gives and takes away indisciminatorily and he might take even more people away from me
If I don't make room and time for God, he s further away from me
So things like that! Daft to some of you I'm sure - not to me. I plan on thinking and praying about these things, as well as taking steps towards rectifying them, or learning to embrace and love them!
What I do already know is that God loves me regardless of my belief systems.
As well as all this I'm trying to do 40 Acts which is encouraging people to observe Lent generously. Ace. The first day's action was to set up a Giving Jar ready to pop coins into whenever we fail at giving up something we've given up. The resulting spondoolies will go to the One Can Trust.
cheers for reading!
There are lots of folk out there who gripe about Lent, and having just been bored by those who gripe about Valentine's Day, I'm done with by that sort of negativity. "You should show your love for your significant other all year round, not on one day"....."You should give up stuff totally if it is bad for your health/mind, not just for 40 days." Yes, you're right. But that's not the point of either of those celebrations, commercialised and twisted or not.
For me, acknowledging Lent is a very personal positive thing. I could go into the reasons why Lent is a good thing to observe and remember from a Christian point of view but lots of other bloggers have done it a lot better than I could....
Rachel Held Evans: 40 ideas for Lent
Sarah Bessey: In which [it is lent] words need flesh
For years I have tried to take up positive actions as well as give things up. Last year I took labels off myself that I had put on myself, or had put on me. These things may have looked minor on the surface, but my self esteem improved as a result.
In that same vein, and following some ace teaching on my course last week, I am planning on looking at unhealthy belief systems that I live my life by, and that all things being equal, I shouldn't. I originally intended blogging my way through a list of 10 systems about myself, and 10 unhealthy beliefs I have about God. I have changed my mind. As much as I want to be open and honest in this blog, I think the next 40 days are going to be really hard as I try to strip back these systems. Plus I doubt very much I'll solve anything so I plan on just blogging a review at the end. I also doubt I'll get through 20!
So here are some examples of unhealthy beliefs I hold about myself:
I am afraid lots of people I love will drop dead, because it has happened before.
I am wrong to not want children
I shouldn't be proud of my education and wanting to pursue more learning
Unhealthy belief systems I have about God:
If I rest or take a day off, I am letting God down by not constantly making every moment count.
I will disappoint God if I don't do something 'worthwhile' with my life
God gives and takes away indisciminatorily and he might take even more people away from me
If I don't make room and time for God, he s further away from me
So things like that! Daft to some of you I'm sure - not to me. I plan on thinking and praying about these things, as well as taking steps towards rectifying them, or learning to embrace and love them!
What I do already know is that God loves me regardless of my belief systems.
As well as all this I'm trying to do 40 Acts which is encouraging people to observe Lent generously. Ace. The first day's action was to set up a Giving Jar ready to pop coins into whenever we fail at giving up something we've given up. The resulting spondoolies will go to the One Can Trust.
cheers for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment