I’m not a very patient person – and on top of that, I like to have control of things. The combination isn’t great, and it’s one that I try to overcome every day. Knowing how impatient I am, I think it’s interesting that I love Advent, but don’t feel the same way about Lent.
Advent is all about being patient. It’s about waiting. It’s about silence and stillness. It’s about the anticipation of Jesus being born – the savior of the world. I guess, as an impatient person, you’d think I wouldn’t love the waiting period. But, I do. I look forward with anticipation for Christmas morning for those four weeks.
Lent, too, is about waiting. It’s also about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. But I don’t love Lent. I think that just as Advent is about waiting for a joyous occasion, Lent is also about waiting for a joyous occasion. But, with Lent… we have to go through some things. Before we can even look to Easter morning, we have the Last Supper. We have Jesus being whipped and mocked. We have Good Friday. We have Jesus dying on the Cross.
Not necessarily unlike Advent, Lent is here to help purify us. We give up things. We try to pray more. We do the Stations of the Cross. It’s 40 days of focusing on repentance. And even then, once we’ve completed our 40 days of sacrifice, Jesus still dies because we are sinners.
Again, as an impatient person, I don’t love sitting in the wait of Lent. I’d love to speed it all up. There’s a certain dread – and not just because of whatever I choose to give up. I don’t love the stark reminder of Jesus suffering and dying for me. I don’t love sitting through Good Friday service. It makes me uncomfortable. Don’t even get me started on putting myself in Mary’s shoes that day.
But just like Advent, at the end of Lent, we have a joyous occasion. Jesus overcomes death. He saves us from the fires of hell. He resurrects from the dead, and brings us new life; a life made possible through His birth at the end of Advent, and His death at the end of Lent. In his life, he has shown his deep love for us.
So as we begin Lent, and I wish we could fast forward to Easter, I’m learning to be more patient – or rather, sit in my impatience a little better. These 40 days are the least we can do because of the love that Jesus has for us. A love that we may never feel worthy of, but one that Jesus gives us each and every day. And it’s worth dealing with a bit of impatience to experience His love.