On Lent and Letting Ourselves Feel
God has a way of repeating some messages. Maybe it's because we weren't listening the first time, or maybe He's wanting to prove a point. In Genesis 41, we read about Pharaoh's dream of the famine that would soon overtake Egypt. A reoccurring dream. "And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God..." the text says. Similarly, Jesus repeated lessons to his disciples - and phrases such as "Truly, truly I say to you..." to catch their attention. The other day, someone mentioned to me the importance of recognizing our humanity. It is far too easy for me (and perhaps I am not the only one who's this way, but maybe I am) to try to shut out my emotions in the face of crisis or difficulty. There are some of us who believe, perhaps unconsciously, that allowing ourselves to be concerned, to mourn, to feel any sadness or uncertainty at all - is a lack of faith. Something that shouldn't be. A side effect of the