Today, I’ve been thinking about the Lenten Season and the Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry.

Several of my recent posts have the word Repentance in the title.  Jesus began his ministry saying:  Repent and believe in the good news!  Sometimes when you listen to the news, read newspapers and listen to people talk about what is going in the world and in their lives at home, work and in the community you might wonder where the good news is that you can believe in.

It’s easy to get discouraged, especially when you are fasting from something and slip up – or when you’ve promised to take on a new good work during the season of Lent and then fail to fulfill it.   It’s easy to tell yourself you failed, you’re too weak, etc. What’s good about fasting or doing good works during this season anyway?

Well, one of the important things to remember when you’ve decided to fast or do some new good work – is the purpose of why you’ve made these decisions in the first place.

Remembering that Jesus’ ministry was about bringing people into a loving relationship with God, self and others then it seems that the purpose of Lent is more about filling our lives with love than it is about giving up food or doing good deeds. What if you heard Jesus say – Repent! And start loving God, yourself and other people!

Filling this Season with Love does require emptying ourselves of feelings of contempt and bitterness, rejection, holding onto grudges.  Often we think of those feelings in regards to other people – but stop a moment and think about those feelings you have about and within yourself.  What thing about yourself to you feel bitter about, hold contempt about?  What part of your God given life do you want to reject, do you find yourself rejecting thoughts of self love, lack of worth, etc.  What grudge are you holding against yourself?

Take some time to assess your level of self-love, then confess your weak areas and ask God to fill your heart and mind, your soul with His love for you.

Next, think about those feelings in regards to your relationships with other people in your life.  Again, confess your weak areas and ask God to fill those relationships with His love.

Then ask for His direction and courage to do something with His love for you and other people.

Lord, Thank you for loving me.  I confess that I have not always, nor do I now, fully love myself as you do, I confess that I need your help in loving me as the person you have created.  Please give me your Spirit of Love so that I might love myself and other people in the way that you love us.  Give me wisdom and direction in how you want me to express your love in this world to the people whom you would have me share it with.  I ask this for the sake of building up your Spirit of Love in the world today and everyday.  AMEN