Several years ago, I began an exercise program three days per week. Before I started the program, my blood pressure was absolutely perfect. I huffed and puffed, walked and trotted, lifted and pressed. Well, it so happens that I needed to go see my doctor for another issue. So, there I am, sitting on the exam table and the nurse comes in and takes a routine blood pressure reading. IT HAD GONE UP!!! But then, my mother became ill, and I stopped my exercise program so I could spend more time with my mother. And, once again, I went to see my doctor about some other matter. So, there I sit on the exam table, and the nurse comes in and takes a routine blood pressure reading. No more exercise. And my blood pressure had gone BACK DOWN to perfect. So, I said to my doctor, “You see, like I’ve said all along. Exercise is bad for you.”

Well, we’d like to think that exercise is bad for us, because we’d all rather just sit around and do nothing. But of course we know that that isn’t really the case. (A fact which my doctor was quick to point out.) Our body’s need exercise. They need to be stretched and challenged, otherwise they cease to be healthy.

This is why we have Lent (that begins February 25). Lent S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-S and challenges our spirit. It makes us climb the mountains of self-deception, and swim the rivers of
selfishness. It makes us re-examine lazy priorities, and toughens up our spiritual discipline. We’d like to get out of it, of course. Nobody likes to go through the pain of using muscles that have lain around getting soft and flabby. But to have a healthy soul, you have to exercise it. And that is what Lent does. It’s the once-a-year ‘Marine boot-camp’ that makes our soul’s solid, and strong.

So, join me this Lent. Maybe we can lean a little on each other when we ‘run out of breath’.

I’ll see you in church.

~Roy