Fallen walls and open doors…

Fallen walls and open doors
We are not bound any more
We must follow any cause
To open doors and fallen walls
-Keith Lancaster

The Lord, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy.
-Deuteronomy 30:16

Growing up Baptist, I don’t remember giving any thing up for Lent. But I can remember classmates that did. It was a big deal to them, having to sacrifice candy, soft drinks, chips, etc. for those 40 days. How do I know? Because they talked about it. They knew exactly how many more days they had to do without whatever they had given up.

To some, the season of Lent is just another way God “imposes” His will…His authority over us. By making sacrifices, we feel “the eye of God” upon us, waiting for us to falter and stumble so He can point a finger and say, “Ah-ha! Gotcha!”

Today, day two of Lent, I’ve fallen already. Jim and I decided we would read together the daily mediation from The Word Among Us and pray together to start our day. It’s something we have done off and on throughout our marriage but not for a while. What better time than Lent to turn over a new leaf and begin again?

But this morning, my mind was filled with other things. Getting a turkey into the roasting pan, going through paperwork to take to the tax preparer today, etc. I can’t speak for Jim, but the thought of reading and praying together slipped through my fingers until he was well on his way to work.

And guess what? There was no “Ah-ha!” or “Gotcha!” from above. Lightning didn’t strike and I was not “called on the carpet”. There was a gently stirring within me that made me stop what I was doing and remember. Did I feel guilty? Yes…but that was self-imposed…and, thankfully, short lived.

Reading the above scripture and mediating on God’s word dispelled the guilt and filled me with peace, knowing that above my obedience, the thing He most desires, is a willing heart. God knows it is my desire to fulfill my Lenten “sacrifice” to grow closer to him and closer to Jim.

So if you have decided to sacrifice this Lenten season, whether through giving up a material item or sacrificing some of the precious time we have each day to spend with God, don’t let a slip up, or several of them, derail you. Don’t think of your sacrifice as a “wall of constraint”. Open your mind, tear down the wall and see the big picture…all of the blessings that God surrounds each of us with daily.

Fallen walls…and open doors. We are not bound anymore. We must follow any cause…to open doors and fallen walls. These lyrics by Keith Lancaster took on new meaning for me this morning. Because, before God can use me to knock down walls between myself and others, I must first knock down the walls I build between me and my God.