By: Joseph Murdy
Lent is without a doubt, one of the darkest and most penitential seasons in the church. We switch our colors to purple and black. We hear stories of Christ’s suffering. We come face to face with the reality of our sinfulness. Needless to say, Lent is a depressing time of year. With Lent also comes the opportunity to reconcile for the wrong we’ve done, turn our lives around, choose life with God, and embrace the forgiveness of Christ that comes ultimately with his resurrection. At some point during Lent, maybe before or even after lent, you may come to realize that God really does forgive us…and God really does love you. The problem is that as quickly as we see how much God loves us, we eventually lose sight of God’s grace. Then it’s back to feeling sorry, guilty, and full of shame…unable to bring ourselves to approach God for forgiveness once again. How do we hold on to the love of God? How do we live our daily lives immersed in God’s love and mercy? The answer is as easy as it is challenging, keep your eyes on Jesus. When we look to Christ, we will see the love of God given to us immeasurably and unconditionally. Henri Nouwen once said, “God’s love for us is everlasting. That means that God’s love for us existed before we were born and will exist after we have died.” This is how we hold on, we look to Christ. When you fix your eyes on Jesus, you will never lose sight of God’s love.
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