Compassion...Nouwen...Lent

Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human...It is not surprising that compassion, understood as suffering with, often evokes in us a deep resistance and even protest. We are inclined to say, "This is self-flagellation, this is masochism, this is a morbid interest in pain, this is a sick desire." It is important for us to acknowledge this resistance and to recognize that suffering is not something we desire or to which we are attracted. On the contrary, it is something we want to avoid at all cost. Therefore, compassion is not among our most natural responses. We are pain-avoiders and we consider anyone who feels attracted to suffering abnormal, or at least very unusual.

(By Henri Nouwen)

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Henri Nouwen is one of those guys who expresses himself with words, images, and metaphors in ways that draw me into the center of the heart of God. He offers nuggets of wisdom that make me sit and chew on the fact that God is near.
His book Show Me the Way is a devotional book filled with readings to guide people through the Lenten season. Though each day contains about one-page of material, it is all I can take. It is that rich!

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I began observing the season of Lent in 2002, the spring before Kayci and I were married. When Church of Christ folks think about Lent, we usually reach for our pockets or book cases. However, for many people, Lent is a season where we wrestle with the tension between winter and spring, anticipating the power and presence of the resurrection; a new season of life. For me, Easter has become my New Year. Yes, I celebrate and participate in the resurrection of Jesus every day, but there is something about Easter Sunday that launches me into the rest of year.
It is funny, I have people who come up to me at church whispering, "Josh, I don't know if you observe Lent, but I just wanted you to know that I gave up chocolate...tv...cokes...coffee...college basketball...in order to focus more on prayer as we lead up to Easter Sunday." I whisper back, "I'm with you."
For those of you fasting and praying through this season, may the mercy of God be upon you in transforming ways.