Who's Watching?

This is my pet rabbit, Mr. Bunny.


As I make my way through Lent, sometimes I wonder if I'm being watched.  Is God watching me to tote up my Lenten failures?  Or even to credit me with my Lenten successes?  Are friends or parishioners watching to see if I am "different" during Lent?

AM I different, during Lent?

I like to hope that I am being slowly shaped, like sand shapes rocks, by my Lenten practices.  I imagine that any changes will not be evident right away, if at all, from the outside.   I go through the season with a heightened sense of my relationship with God and my way of being in the world, and maybe an eye turned inward every now and then to "take my temperature," but like with most things, I think whatever formation that is being done now will only become evident later.

Still, I like to think that I'm growing and that I will notice that growth when the need for its application becomes apparent.

How is your Lenten discipline going this year?




Comments

June Butler said…
My discipline is that I go to church twice a week, rather than once, and I'm enjoying the second visit quite a lot, as we do something different each week. This week, we had a meal Eucharist. We ate, chatted with each other, and prayed. Our priest consecrated, and we received the Body and Blood of Our Lord within the framework of a real meal. The experience was quite lovely and moving.
That sounds like Dinner Church, Mimi. Some friends have started one in New York (St Lydia's) and I visited them last year. Yours sounds like a very good discipline - thanks for sharing it!
June Butler said…
Penny, it was Dinner Church. I'd forgotten the name.
Perpetua said…
Mine's going as usual, Penny - in other words I could do more, but at least am managing to keep what I have undertaken to do.
Perpetua, that sounds about right. We could always do more, but really it's good to be aware that we've been faithful to what we said we would do.
Claudia said…
My husband attended a children's ministry conference, and some other delegates were saying "Oh, imagine giving up coffee and chocolate for Lent, how could people do that?" and Husband quietly said, "My wife is doing that."

This is the third year I've tried to observe Lent, and the for the first time I feel like I'm actually "getting" what it's all about. It's not just the "giving something up" but I'm starting to learn how to use the fast to "push in" deeper spiritually.
Ray Barnes said…
Like so many others I too have given up chocolate for Lent and this year have been trying much harder to make myself do things which have been 'put on one side for later'.
Not totally successfully, but better than usual so it is beginning to work.
Naturally lazy, I find it quite hard to force myself to perform little tasks that can be left till later, but this year am making a real effort and for the first time feel an actual sense of accomplishment hitherto unknown.
They do say that "virtue is it's own reward", said she smugly.
That's great, Claudia! It does take some time to really "get" Lent (most things take time, don't they?!) and I'm glad you're having a good experience.
Ray, virtue is its own reward, most definitely. :-) Glad you're feeling like it's working this year!