Ash Wednesday: Not giving up is the greatest sacrifice

Full disclosure: I did not watch the SOU speech. I will not engage too deeply with reading responses. It's all political theatre; a theatre of the absurd, a tragedy, a failed play that, God willing, will fold soon.

My heart hurts at all the damage done, the cruelty and haphazard wreckage, the chaos and confusion. 

Today is Ash Wednesday, and we are asked to give up the things of this world that get in the way of our own introspection, repentance, and personal conversion. Conversion is not a one-time thing; it is a turning and returning to the source of what and who we are. 

I've let the world's problems dictate my life far too much for far too long, and while I will still be disturbed and concerned, and I will dedicate myself to being one of the helpers, I can't let it consume me. See, getting too invested in the muck of it is a form of toxic gluttony, and it leads to despair (which is not traditionally one of the seven deadly sins, but it's often included.) Despair is a rejection of saving grace. 

I pray every day for the strength and determination to keep trying, to share my bounty with others, to be able to use the talents and gifts I have been given in service of others. 

That's my Lenten promise. Giving up some personal pleasures is not enough; those things are freely given and freely set aside. The true sacrifice from which one grows is found in action, not denial. I need to give up despair. It won't be easy, but it's necessary.

Have a good day. I wish for you peace and understanding. I need those things, too.

C