A Season of Bright Sadness

Lent is a fairly new practice for me. I say practice, because I have always known it existed, I just never really gave it much thought. In recent years, Jamey and I have become very involved and active in a church that allows us the opportunity to learn about Lent and the meaning behind the season leading up to Holy Week and Easter Sunday. My mom grew up Catholic, so this is nothing new to her. But Jamey growing up Southern Baptist and me with a mix of Methodist and Southern Baptist - this is a newer area for us.
Tonight we heard one of our pastors speak of a "bright sadness" - this is a Christian Orthodox combination of fasting, prayer, meditation designed to help us to remember the sins, the sorrow, the dark parts of our lives. Our secret (or perhaps not so secret) thoughts and actions in which we are not shining for Jesus as we are called to do. It takes courage to think about the sadness of this time of Lent, about the pain our sins cause to ourselves, our family, our God. But to identify these areas of darkness during this time means that we must have hope that we are called to and are able to turn away from those sins and sadness. Easter is hope. If we do not have the joy that comes with the hope of Easter - the hope of salvation and the hope of greater things which we can not understand, there is not much use in worrying about the season of Lent at all. The two parts are connected  - the "brightness" of hope and the "sadness" as we are reminded that we fall short of where we should be.
Bright Sadness - I read more about this online tonight and one writer reminded us of the Sermon on the Mount - the Beatitudes. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." We are those people who feel drained in spirit , we are those who are sad, we are those who feel like we sometimes - many times - have no voice or control, we desire something better, something more meaningful. This is the time to remember our sadness so that we can experience the joy and hope that is to come.



PS _ Thank you to Mr. Howell for the Girl Scout Cookies. That were GONE before bedtime tonight courtesy of a sneaky little boy who did not even leave ONE cookie for his daddy....