"The self-denial involved in the period of Lent isn’t about just giving up chocolates or beer; it’s about trying to give up a certain set of pictures of God which are burned into [us].” — Rowan Williams What if our practices this Lent had something to do with our God-images? What needs to be healed in your own soul’s relationship with God? Many of us have discovered ways that we deeply expect God to be with us—that turn out to be more based on how humans have been with us. We have a hard time trusting God to be a good parent or friend (even if we *know* what is true), for various reasons. So, what if whatever you choose to give up (or take up) for Lent this year had an eye to healing something in that part of you? If you often feel like God is judging you or angry or disappointed (even while “knowing” that you are actually the beloved child, delighted in, enjoyed), consider a different kind of fast. Perhaps you choose to fast from something that you typically consider to be “pleasing” to a God that you’re trying to believe will love and accept and care for you even when you DON’T do that thing. Or, if you generally expect God to be very serious and stern, what might it look like to take up a practice of some kind of “play” this Lent, and invite God to play with you in it? If something in you believes God is stingy with you, how might you lean into a practice of accepting the abundance of good things? There are so many possibilities. What kind of “experiment” could you do this Lent that would open you up to the *reality* of God—letting God be who God is with you—instead of the image you have of God?

Posted by Jamie Bonilla at 2022-02-23 15:05:32 UTC