Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, which officially marks the beginning of Lent. You may be asking what in the world a sippy cup has to do with Lent. Well, for me, it finally put it into perspective. I've struggled with Lent since I was a young girl. I would spend 35 of the 40 days trying to figure out what I was going to "give up". I would forget to not eat meat on Fridays. I would try hard to do something good each day of Lent...the stories could go on forever. With all of these trials, I managed to continuously lose sight of what Lent was intended for. I would spend so much time caught up in what I was going to do or not do, that I forgot to prepare my heart for the Easter season. Don't worry, this is where the sippy cup comes in!
As I was feeding Ben last night, I was thinking about Father Dave's homily. I was thinking of how he said to spend this Lenten season preparing our hearts. He asked us to think back on the year (or years) and look at ways in which we have "hardened our hearts". He pointed to Joel 2:13 "rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and relenting of evil". He challenged us to work during Lent on "rendering our hearts". Well, as Ben was struggling with his sippy cup (something we've only tried a few times), it hit me!
Duh, Lent is like Ben's sippy cup. He had it turned upside down. He was drowning in too much liquid. He had it on top of his head. He was chewing on it. He had it on the floor.
But, finally, he had it in his mouth and was actually drinking from it. This is how Lent has been for me. I've been around it, under it, over it, etc...but finally it's in perspective. This year, it's not about what I'm going to "give up" or what I'm going "to do"...it's about focusing on rendering my heart and returning to the Lord!
Thank goodness for that sippy cup!
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That's beautiful Megan! How our kids can help give us a whole new perspective on life.
ReplyDeleteKids seem to put everything in perspective from our Father. You know, half the battle is seeing the signs and messages before us. I hope that you continue to cherish these moments with Ben. Each step is an incredible reminder of how awesome our God is. At times, I am in awe in the fact that He chose us specifically to parent our children. I would pray more parents would reflect on the little things as you have. You are an awesome mom and a wonderful friend. Love you Megan!
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