good Thursday...

My husband is home with the flu.  He got sick over the weekend and I made him go to the doctor on Tuesday.  He has been quite miserable.  We get flu shots every year, but it seems like we also end up with the flu every year too.  🙍

I have kind of an eclectic background in faith.  I have Jewish heritage that I absolutely cherish, my Great-Grandmother was Jewish and in her adult life accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior.  I went to Catholic school until sixth grade, and was raised in a non-denominational Christian church that had a strong bent towards Southern Baptist.  My husband, kids, and I try to keep Passover, Hannukah, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur.  We celebrate Shabbat, Sabbath, starting at sundown on Fridays.  But for the first time in my adult life, I've decided to try Lent.  I have been hesitant to try it, afraid that I would become legalistic and try to earn something (one of my many, many weaknesses in life).  And I have a hard time giving up comforts like chocolate, especially on the really hard days.  What if I say I am doing this, but cannot stick with it?   Also, is it ok to do something like Lent since it is not a Biblical feast or observance, but instead is a man-made/church made tradition?  As I was thinking through these and many many many other questions running circuits through my heart, I was reminded of something I tell my kids all the time.  Why you do something is just as, if not more, important than what you do.  Why am I doing this?  Am I doing it because everyone else is doing it?  Am I doing this to try to earn favor with God?  Am I doing this to prove something to anyone else, including myself?  Or am I doing this to reset my heart, my focus, my affections?

My life tends toward chaos. 

There is always someone having some sort of a medical crisis - our pets too - it is kind of crazy.  Due to the chronic health issues with my kids, it feels like non-stop stress sometimes.  I definitely am almost always completely distracted, barely able to snatch five minutes of quiet during the day.

I desperately need a reset with God. 

So, I decided that Lent leading up to Passover was the perfect time to do this.  I gave up chocolate (except on Shabbat - Sabbath day - the mini-resurrection celebrations leading up to the ultimate celebratory day) and am doing a devotional called Journey to the Cross.  I think that it will be good for me to once again be reminded of just how much I need a Savior and just how much God did for us when He sent His Son Jesus to be our propitiation, our atonement.  I have a feeling that life - the good, the bad, and all of the in-between, will pale in comparison as I gaze at the cross.