What do you think about when it is time to prepare for a party? Lists. Lists. And more lists, where I am concerned. The bigger the party, the more daunting. Don’t you wish we could enjoy that process as much as we are supposed to enjoy the actual “partay”? It is just plain hard work. We have to take time out of our already busy schedules to get ‘er done. It ain’t easy. But what is?
The day that I was born, I don’t remember hearing, or any other day for that matter, that life is easy. Have you? Has there ever been a time when your parents, teachers, siblings, etc said to you, “Sit back and relax, Sugar, for you are on a journey of cinch. ” Piece of cake. A breeze.
Why, then, is it so punishing for us to get our arms wrapped around life when it gets difficult? Which, for me, is every day.
I’m guessing 99 percent of our resentments stem from life not throwing us the easy life line that we desperately deserve. (I just looked up “easy” in the thesaurus and it gave me “sluttish” Oh my goodness. Is that a word in our Webster?)
Could this life be a preparation for something else to come? Really. When you think about it, what are we doing all this for? Look at the steps we take in planning a party. It’s like a miniature look at our bigger picture life. Getting supplies. Making lists. Working with others to get ‘er done. Cleaning. Communicating. Teaching each other what we know so that we can be on the same page. Ultimately, it is an effort to get to a place where we can enjoy each other’s company. Like when we get home from work at the end of a long day.
Tomorrow, Lent begins. Lent is a time for the preparation of what? For Christians, it is a time to walk through 40 days with Christ as He prepares to die for our sins three days before Easter. It is a time for us to see that life IS NOT easy, as He so plainly shows us and that sacrifices are made. So how do we move through that walk with Him? We are asked to give up something that we enjoy so that we may feel, somehow, empathy for what He did. Not sure if by me not eating candy, I will get a sense of His torture on the cross. But, in our own little way, we want to suffer with Him. I am here to tell you, it is HARD to give up something you love.
Also, we are encouraged to pray with Him. That is a sacrifice of time. It is HARD to give that time. We are also encouraged to give to charity. It is HARD to give up that money that could otherwise be spent on moi. It’s not easy.
Oh, but who told me it was easy? I keep trying to track that source down. I want want want easy. The only thing that is really easy in my life is when I get to take a nap. I asked Pops last year, what would he do on a Saturday afternoon if he could do whatever he wanted. He said play golf. My response was, “Have fun. Cause I’m taking a nap.” Number 1 thing on my easy list.
Lent is like a preparation for a party. The party being the risen Christ who died for our sins. Thank God. I would hate to have to account for all of my ghastly sins. ugh.
Life is like a preparation for a party. The party being the day that I get to go live with my Savior who partied with me every Easter of my life. Every day of my life for that matter.
I would hate to spend my life preparing for a party that never happens. Let me get the hard stuff done so I can get on with it.
God bless,
Karen
The Shieling 