As we begin Lent this Ash Wednesday, I’m reminded what a contrast this waiting period makes against Advent with all its festivities and merriment. Many traditions recommend giving up something during this period – a kind of antidote to the indulgences of the run-up to Christmas.
Since it’s never been part of my own practice to deprive myself of some favorite food or activity during Lent, I find myself searching for meaningful ways to ready myself to ride again the emotional roller coaster of Jesus’ final days on earth. This year, I’m moved to take my own advice from last week – uncovering the events of my life that anchor my faith.
As a young teen, I remember a pastor inspiring me to start with the gospels and read ten verses of the Bible a day. While I enjoyed the stories about Jesus, I lacked a theological context in which to frame them. Scripture had to compete with my reading about reincarnation; I admit I found the logic of needing multiple lives to perfect one’s soul persuasive.
When in college I took a course in the New Testament, it dawned on me that I had called myself a Christian with no idea what that meant. Even my professor expressed doubt about the veracity of the Scriptures’ claims. Was the resurrection a real event or merely a metaphor? What was the real purpose of the crucifixion after all? Wasn’t it enough to believe that Jesus was a good man?
As all these questions came to a head in my mind, God was ready for me. Students I met in the Christian Fellowship prayed for me and also steered me to CS Lewis. In the midst of freshman final exams and papers, I inhaled the work of this incredible apologist, and Christianity came into focus.
For me, the Lord is the God who rescued me from the Red Sea of my honest theological confusion and set me on the solid ground of faith that made sense to my intellect while also infusing my heart with the mystery of grace.
This is where my personal creed begins. Where did God meet you?
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