Lent calls us to reflect on the fragile nature of our humanity. The human condition is one filled with imperfection and impermanence. It can be easy to become uncomfortable with these thoughts and therefore dismiss them. Lent calls us to focus on where we would be without God’s unconditional love for us. We remember that we are from dust and will return to dust; that we all sin and the wages of sin are death. Sitting with this knowledge is difficult, but ultimately gives us a greater appreciation for and reverence of God’s unconditional love for us as expressed through Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. When we meditate on where we would be without the love, grace, and communion of God, we more fully and passionately take hold of all that salvation in Christ gives us. Give yourself the gift of heightening your love for God by understanding how completely and desperately we need to be saved.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39