Lent

Thank You Beauty Beyond Bones

Happy moments – Well I was reminded of one of mine today by Beauty Beyond Bones. I love her blog by the way. It always gives me something to think about, even occasionally to fume about but I admire her courage and her honesty. She has written some very controversial posts over the years. I did actually unfollow her for a while but I just could not help myself, checking in to read her blog. Her posts often inspire me, even when I disagree with her positions.

Lent – A Personal Perspective

Getting back to Lent. I have been feeling vaguely guilty about Lent. Christ had withstood being tempted by the devil for forty days and nights and he  had never slipped into sin. For me Lent is associated with one of my happiest memories.

Last year I finally realised I may have walked in Christ’s footsteps. I had visited the spot where Christ was supposed to have been tempted. We had been visiting Jericho.

I am something of a fan of Joshua. Some days I feel like I am walking round the walls, tooting my horn, whilst everybody peers over the edge, saying,

“Look at that idiot.”

Not Visiting The Monastery of The Temptation

As usual I have got off track. My companion had been interested in some building at the top of the hill. I had just sat at the bottom and waited, sharing my oranges with a bunch of Palestinian children. Jericho is actually in the West Bank. In recent years I have discovered he was visiting The Monastery of the Temptation. My companion was actually Jewish, yet he had obviously known more about this pivotal site in Christian faith than I had.

So yes I have mixed feelings about Lent. These days I often associate it with sharing my delicious Jaffa oranges. For me this is a lovely memory.

“Sorry guys.”

Maybe it would have been a different experience, had I struggled up the hill to visit the monastery.

Why I Am Eating Oranges for Lent

Beauty Beyond Bones has a great approach to Lent. She has been asking Christ to help her love him more. Me I am too cowardly to pray that particular prayer right now. However I do get her point.

Narcissistic abuse put me in the position of having to cling to Christ like a limpet, merely to survive. I am just plain tired. I feel like I have already given up an awful lot, including getting to see my father before he died.

So please forgive me but right now, I am just dreaming of being able to sit in the sun with my juicy Jaffa oranges. I have decided that instead of giving up something for Lent, I am going to buy myself the most juicy, delicious oranges I can find and munch them every day during Lent (or what’s left of it) in honour of my special memory.