Ash Wednesday – 2014: Time for a 3D Spiritual Selfie: “Purging, Pondering & Paying it Forward”
Lent: 40 days to take a 3D spiritual selfie
Why “3D?”
Because that’s who we are: we’re not hermits living in isolation.
We live in the world with others and we are made in the image and likeness of God.
A good spiritual selfie can’t crop out the other people or God!!
How do we do it?
3 ways:
Purging – kinda like fasting
Pondering – kinda like prayer
Paying it forward – kinda like charity
Purging/Fasting gets us to focus on our own needs and wants. It enables us to realize what is necessary and what we have come to depend on – even if not so necessary. It could be food, entertainment or – dare I mention it – even social media When we refrain (or try to) from eating or doing other things, we get a clearer picture of ourselves.
Pondering/Praying focuses on God: thinking, talking, listening. We must have or at least should have a few things we’d like to say to God. Certainly God has some things he would like to say to us. And there is quite a bit about God that I don’t understand that I should think about some more.
Paying it Forward/Acts of Charity puts us in touch with the needs of those around us. Maybe it’s a meal or cup of coffee, a visit to the hospital, or a lonely relative; maybe it’s a ride home – out of our way to a colleague; maybe it’s a kind word to a stranger on the street.