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Released 11 April 2011
When recently reading up on traditions to partake in during
the season of Lent, I more than once came across the interesting phrase,
‘a renewed vigor.' There are three traditional practices that many
Christians throughout the Church world put into practice in order to prepare
themselves for Holy Week and the day of Resurrection of our Savior Jesus
Christ. These practices to be taken up with renewed vigor during Lent are:
prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving
(justice towards neighbor). To me the phrase renewed vigor implies that there
was an existing vigorous approach toward these traditions of prayer, fasting
and almsgiving in the lives of Christians. To give the word vigor more weight,
words used to describe vigor are: intensity, resilient strength, validity and
effectiveness. This made me question: are my existing everyday prayers, acts of
self-denial, and giving vigorous, intense or valid? Can they even be measured,
should they be measured?
Regarding prayer: the Holy Spirit doesn't
necessarily answer our prayers in ways that we expect or in ways that our
limited minds can comprehend.
Regarding fasting: depending on your
act of self denial this might be the most measurable and results based. But
fasting in a way that exemplifies that fact that you're fasting goes against
the purpose of fasting. (see Isaiah 58:2-4).
Regarding giving: this
practice is personally measurable. You can see the money leave your bank
account; you can feel your tired body after a time of volunteering. I find the
act of giving to be the most fascinating. Rarely do you ever truly know the
measurements of your giving. A Sunday School teacher can often feel exhausted
after class and feel that all his/her work was done in vain. Feelings of
‘it seems like they are never listening!' and ‘half the time I'm
asking them to sit back down, and constantly having to repeat myself.' can be
overwhelming. Many of us remember Sunday School teachers and the love they
demonstrated. I still remember my first Sunday School teacher Mrs. Kay and how
much I enjoyed being in her classroom. The monetary giving we participate in,
often feels like a drop in the bucket, especially when giving to the great
needs that exist overseas. What you might not know is that a person's
life might be completely changed because of your $50 donation that bought their
family a goat. Now that their family has income, school is an option. Education
of children is a crucial element in overcoming poverty.
If vigor is
absent from our lives, how do we discover it? I believe what might rob us of
knowing and experiencing vigor is when we get caught up and too focused on the
outcome of the practice we are participating in. The hopeful (and sometimes
selfish) results of these practices shouldn't overcome the beauty of the
process and journey we go on when we participate.
When I
think of Jesus and what I know of His life, I realize that he had to experience
the process and journey too. He knew that God would be faithful through the
process and faithful at the end of the process. Isaiah chapter 9 is titled Hope
in the Messiah and there is a great anticipation of God's promises in this
chapter. The chapter ends with the statement, "The passionate commitment of the
Lord of Heaven's Armies will make this happen!" The Lord is passionate about
his commitment towards us! In return we should also be passionate and
vigorous in our prayer, fasting and giving. Pray with great faith, fast with
faith and a reliant spirit and give faithfully, honestly and generously. And
enjoy Christ's Passion for you with a renewed vigor.