God’s way is the best way
Another Lent is here for many of us. There is a certain fascination many Christians have with Lent. Maybe that fascination is mostly centered on what many Catholics received a few days ago — ashes.
What a unique and powerful sign and one that gets us thinking about some pretty uncomfortable things.
“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” Perhaps what fascinates us the most, something we often don’t talk about, is the realization that we’re not even close to being perfect. We can be so much better and know deep down that we have disappointed ourselves and probably God, too.
Think about the story of Adam and Eve. Think about how they first decided to do something that seemed to contradict what God wanted. They failed to listen to their God who was the only one who truly knew what was best for them. And of course,
the serpent presented the nudge to them that provided the tipping point. And what was that tipping point they couldn’t seem to resist? It was the deceptive voice that said there is something better out there.
We sometimes think that the wrong we do is just that — “bad things” that we somehow want to embrace anyway. But think about that. If we truly thought something was bad for us, or better yet, KNEW that it was bad, how many of us would choose it anyway? Some.
After all, some acts humans choose are truly hard to understand. The truth is, many things we do that are considered wrong actually involve us choosing things that are good in some respect or to some degree. These are things that in the moment somehow seem to be the better thing out there. They are the same type of thing the serpent dangled in front of Adam and Eve. We, unfortunately, often choose these other things, these lesser goods instead of choosing the greatest good.
So we take something that is not ours because we probably need it more than the next guy, or that store or the company we work for. Or we gossip about someone because we feel that others deserve to have the whole picture. Or we start running with a bad crowd because it’s better to have some support from anyone we can find rather than have none at all. Or perhaps we spend excessive time at the office, and neglect our family in the process, because we can always use more money. Or we misuse substances because feeling numb is better than what we were feeling before.
As the serpent would tell you...there is always something better out there.
And that’s the BIG LIE! That’s what gets us into trouble. That’s the ORIGINAL SIN, the one that says we know better, that our way is the best way, that God places unrealistic expectations on us. It’s the lie in which we find ourselves saying “God, I hear what you’re saying, but...” And from that small word but comes so much pain, so much disharmony, so many missteps, so many lost opportunities to help make this world the beautiful place God created it to be — and died for it to be.
And that’s why we have Lent, to help us break that cycle and help us realize that God’s way is always the best way.
So let’s look deep within and examine the areas of our lives in which we don’t choose the best option or don’t listen to the wisest voice. May Lent help us see clearly just how much God loves us, how completely dependent we are on him, and how simply choosing what we want can never be better than choosing what HE wants. May you have a blessed Lent.