Falling Short and Certain Delivery

I’ve been thinking a lot about Lent and why we give something up for those 40 days. If nothing else, I’ve decided that Lent is a time to remind us of our own humanity and, thus, of Christ’s divinity. If you think about it, giving up chocolate or cokes for 40 days shouldn’t be that big a deal, but I’ve never made it. I came incredibly close last year, but I still fell short.

Think about this year: one of my Lenten obligations was to write entries for this blog, but I have missed two. Two, out of a minimum of seven. It should not be that difficult to rearrange my schedule to meet such an obligation. Once again, I fell short.

That said, I could never suggest Lent is solely about reminding us of our mortality--such a suggestion would be beyond self-centered. Obviously, our mortality is a key component of why Jesus had to give himself up for our salvation, but Lent is also a reminder of that solemn sacrifice and thus something far greater. Falling short, I suppose, is another important reminder of both why we need Jesus and how nothing short of grace will save us.
I think even more comforting, though, is that “Deliver us from evil” actually follows “Lead us not into temptation.” There’s never any doubt that temptation will find us whether it be a box of Girl Scout cookies or something far, far more sinister. Fortunately, there’s Someone who can deliver us from evil just as long as we have the foresight to ask.