Thursday, March 6, 2008

Deep into Lent

Gray and snowy just now in Sioux Falls. Had an electrical guy over and he can't work on some outdoor lights until the ground thaws.

But spring is dropping hints. The cardinals are up early, whistling to one another.

I started Lent in the gloom of Amos. "How can Jacob/the church/my family/Tim Fountain stand? We are so small!"

Over the weeks, God led me to pray more like Amos. The prophet "cried out." I went to God more personally and passionately than I have in awhile. And Amos' words led me into the painful self-examination of which Lent is made, "O Lord, I beg you! Forgive!"

By Lent 3, my heart was ready to hear the beginnings of an answer - a cardinal's whistle in the bare trees. The Apostle Paul's encouragement to the Romans struck me as the beginning of God's answer to "How can we stand?":

"...suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." (Romans 5:3-5)

This season of my life has had its share of suffering - situations unpleasant and out of my control. The unavoidable necessity to live with some nagging problems without any "program" to solve them. I was drawn to Amos 7 because of this stuff.

But suffering has improved my character. I hate to mimic, say, Stand Firm, but I found that disciplines like "submitting to Scripture" and trying to understand situations by meditating on the cross were most helpful. Less trying to change painful things and more trying to respond to them according to God's Word. And by sticking with this for a few weeks, I'm actually having some of the most clear headed and calm reactions to adversity that I can ever remember, and finding my ability to thank God greatly expanded.

And this God-given tweak of my character is, as Paul says, producing hope. Not in any outcome I might crave (and I have a long wish list), just in assurance that God is faithful and loving and leading me into something "greater than I can ask or imagine."

+++

I can't close this without sharing some of those "God things" that have filled this season with wonder. Some out of state friends who, moved in prayer, sent generous checks the week before I was hit with an unexpected and large expense. A local prayer leader who wrote to tell me, "God is blessing you for your faithfulness. I just heard,'He is a delight to my heart.'" A more prestigious blogger who took a moment to say, "Timothy -- I hope you'll be good to yourself and gentle with yourself."

I call people like this my "Simons of Cyrene." When Jesus was at his weakest and the weight of the cross drove him to the ground, Simon was dragged in to take the burden for him. As I've meditated on the cross and tried to submit to its message, it's been too heavy from time to time. I've fallen down - a lot. But along come these Simons, deep in my Lent, to share the burden so I can take one more step on the road that leads to life.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Somebody's having a great Lent! May there be many more blessings yet to come. A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

Anonymous said...

Tim+,

Reading your moving testimony here, I was reminded of one of those great calls to perseverance in Scripture, Hebrews 12:1-12 and especially verse 11,

"Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

I wish there were some easier way to grow in character and Christ-likenes, but there doesn't appear to be any shortcut. Fortunately, God has something much more important in mind for us than our mere happiness; he desires our wholeness and holiness.

Well said, my friend.

Alice C. Linsley said...

Father Tim, The Orthodox call what you are doing "askesis". When he reign in our passions, our fleshly desires and our willfulness, we gain ground spiritually. It is not a work of righteousness, but a fruit of the Spirit to remind us to Whom we belong.

Alice C. Linsley said...

That should say "when we rein in..." This huge snowstorm must be affecting my fingers and my brain. : )

This piece is lovely and very moving, Father. God bless you!

Anonymous said...

Well, it is significant that the folks over at Stand Firm have taken this testimony and posted it there for all the world to see. You obviously have struck a chord that resonates with many of us, Tim+.