My dear friends,
Well, it’s that time of year again. I’m going to try not to ask. I don’t want to
know. I’m going to avoid the subject entirely. I’ll write about something else.
What are you doing for Lent? (Oops, couldn’t avoid it after all.) Traditionally
this is a season for sacrifice and self-denial, summed up by the idea of ‘giving
something up for Lent’. For some this may mean denying themselves certain
treats or luxuries, giving away the pounds saved or simply enjoying the
pounds lost.
Others focus on conquering a vice or weakness, Lent being seen as the ideal
opportunity to put this behind us once and for all.
There’s another equally important way of observing this season, and that’s
through making it a time for quiet reflection. In our modern world,
opportunities for contemplation are often sadly lacking, tending to be crowded
out of our busy lives.
Think of the simple but profound poem by William Henry Davies which
begins:
‘What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.’
I bet when you were young you had the ability to stand, oblivious to others
around you and be taken in, fully engrossed by a new sight or sound, a line of
ants or a cow chewing the cud. The thrust of Davies’ poem is the natural
world, but for Christians it goes beyond that, speaking of the need to reflect
on the things of God. Not that the two are mutually exclusive, for spiritual
realities are often glimpsed when we pause to take stock, allowing the
ordinary to become special, the secular, sacred, the commonplace touched by
the divine.
‘What is this life, if, full of care . . .’ That phrase ‘full of care’ can mean two
very different things. Full of care as in full of worry. Of full of care as in
we’re full of the desire to care for others.
Are you full of care?
We have it in our power to be either. It’s a conscious choice. Full of cares, or
full of caring.
Take time to take stock. Take time to reflect on the phrase ‘full of care’ and
determine what you will be today.
Jonathan
in Astbury Village
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