I counted them this morning. There are 15 days left in Lent, not counting Sundays of course. Yesterday it was 66 degrees and sunny in North Platte. Today, the prediction is for more of the same, warmer than normal with generous sunshine. I’m hoping I can avoid going outside and doing some yard work. The plumber dug up our front yard this winter to replace what we thought was a broken water main. It turns out the main wasn’t broken but the front yard shows the scar of the big dig all the same. So our front yard needs some major work.
During these spring like days, I’m painfully aware of the connection between my experience of Lent and the weather. I find it difficult to work through Lent when spring is already here. Driving down Willow Street yesterday I passed a home decorated by a placard painted with an Easter greeting and lily on plywood. The decoration sparked the tension I feel.
I find it difficult to participate in Lent when the crocuses are pushing back the earth much as the stone was rolled back on that first Easter. It is difficult to separate Lent’s images and the new life of spring.
I’ve lived-in Nebraska long enough to know that three days from now we may have eight inches of snow on the ground. And the season will once again support my observance of Lent. But, for now, I will rely on the Lenten discipline of fasting, almsgiving and prayer to pull me through my loss of focus. I am aware that without the work of Lent, the new life of Easter may be short lived.
“It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.” (See Hosea 6:6)