• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
life{in}grace

life{in}grace

live with more presence, passion, & purpose

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • Work with Me
    • Courses
    • Life Mentoring School
    • LIVE Event – Your Best Beautiful Year – January 4, 2020
  • Natural Healing
    • Get Started
    • Essential Oil Resources
  • Free Resources
  • Podcast
  • Books

Me & My Self-Righteous Lent

February 19, 2015 by Edie Wadsworth 8 Comments

This is day 2 of my Lenten devotional on the prodigal son. I hope you find some hope and encouragement here.  Click Here to Download the 40 day devotional study!

lent

lovelent

Texts: Psalm 8: 1-6, Gen. 1:20-2:3, Mark 1:14-28

Eight years ago, I observed the season of Lent for the first time. We had just joined a historic, liturgical church and I was completely fascinated by the rich history & ritual of it all, things I had seriously doubted and even mocked when I was 25 and knew everything there was to know about serious Christianity. (insert a little compassionate hug for my 25 year old self)I wanted to do Lent right. I wanted to be the best at Lent. I wanted to repent and remember and deny myself like nobody’s business.  I wanted to show those Lutherans what Lent could really look like if an over-achieving (perhaps slightly self-righteous) evangelical got a hold of it. I went into Lent with all the serious spiritual contemplation I could muster, complete with a journal to jot down all my spiritual growth. And oh the spiritual growth I was anticipating.  If there had been a #christiangirlinstagram hashtag back in the day, I would have worn it out. (Do yourself a favor and follow @johnbcrist on Instagram.)  (#christiangirlinstagram is a parody on how we as christian girls like to document our devotion to the Lord in ever more creative ways. It’s painfully hilarious.)

walkinglent

If Lent were the equivalent of me taking a walk, I looked down at my feet the whole time, admiring my awesome cowboy boots, or my spiritual progress, as it were.  So I say this very much from experience that the greatest temptation during Lent is not that you won’t be able to keep your Lenten discipline.  The greatest temptation is that you will constantly take your spiritual temperature, wondering if you are in fact becoming better and better.  I’ll give you the cliff notes of my first self-righteous Lent.  The way you’ll know you’re making progress is that you won’t see any progress at all. What you’ll see is more sin, more selfishness, less discipline, more temptation, less patience, less love. Why? Because the more you hear the Word & meditate on it, the more sin it will expose in you, like turning spotlights on the dirty corners of your house. 

If your Lenten journey is really successful, you’ll get to the end of it and wonder how you can still be so far off.  And that’s exactly the point. Lent reminds us how lost we are, how self-absorbed we are, how far we are from ever being what we were created to be.

When we finally despair with our pathetic attempts to be more spiritual, when we finally put to death all our preconceived ideas about being holy and righteous, when we empty ourselves of ourselves, He will fill us with all good things.  And those good things will turn us outside ourselves toward our neighbor. We will finally look up and realize that we’re not walking just to walk. We’re walking with our neighbors, who despite our weak and faltering faith, need us.  And they don’t need us to be super spiritual overachievers whose Lenten journals are full of deep insights. They just need a cup of water or a maybe some soup, perhaps even someone to finally make them laugh.

In the Gospel reading for today, Jesus calls his first disciples and the text says they “immediately” went to Capernaum where Jesus healed a man possessed with an unclean spirit.  They didn’t have a goal setting meeting on how to best plot their spiritual growth.  They looked around and saw that the world is hurting and dying so they got right to work.

Let’s not succomb to the very real temptation to watch our own feet as we walk this road together. Look up. Look around & outward.  And when we stop worrying about ourselves and our own progress and begin offering our gifts of love and healing to our neighbors, we will see the beauty of His life in us—a life meant to be poured out for others.

roseslent4

[[Get the study by clicking below. Make sure you click the link in the confirmation email ]]

Click Here to Download the lenten study!

Filed Under: faith, Lent

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarLIsa adams says

    February 19, 2015 at 2:04 pm

    Fist pump for day 2 of devotional! Preach it!!! Good stuff!!! Thank you!!!

    Reply
  2. AvatarMichele @ The Joyful Home says

    February 19, 2015 at 5:14 pm

    Again, just what I needed! I also did not grow up observing Lent, and I’ve been so pleasantly surprised at how awesome it is. I hope you don’t mind, but I shared an excerpt on my blog today and asked my readers to join me in the study. Thank you for sharing your heart 🙂

    Reply
  3. AvatarGina says

    February 19, 2015 at 5:44 pm

    I actually like it on your blog so I can “pin” it. 🙂

    Reply
  4. AvatarJulie D. says

    February 19, 2015 at 6:33 pm

    Ha ha! That’s pretty funny. I remember thinking “Wow, I’m glad I saw this today!” I made sure to sign up pronto. =)

    Reply
  5. AvatarLacey Brown says

    February 21, 2015 at 7:29 pm

    I’m LOVING this Edie, thanks so much!

    Reply
  6. AvatarBebe says

    February 21, 2015 at 8:35 pm

    I can not seem to find an email address on your website so am leaving a comment. I am wondering if you still would like some dishcloths like you took to Nicaragua? i would also like to know where you found the small dolls you used with them. I charity knit and need a break from hats.

    Reply
  7. AvatarAnna says

    February 22, 2015 at 2:35 am

    Being Catholic, I thought the “you have to join by such-and-such a date” idea was hilarious. Every year around the 4th or 5th Sunday of Lent, at every parish I’ve ever attended, the priest’s homily is always something like “So, you might be feeling like your Lent has been a failure, but it’s important to remember that it’s never too late; sometimes feeling like you’ve made no progress was your progress in Lent.” (Or is that what they say in Confession around that time; not sure – but I know it’s what I always hear, one way or another…)

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Lord, I believe? {Lent Day 17} | life{in}grace says:
    March 9, 2015 at 9:49 am

    […] This is day 17 in an email Lenten devotional series.  Join us? […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

ediewadsworth

Coach. Healer. Life Mentoring School.
💕💕I help women heal & rediscover their purpose & calling.💕💕 Click below for my free purpose field guide!

Dr. Edie Wadsworth|Lifeingrace
A little cheer for your Friday at mine and Tom’ A little cheer for your Friday at mine  and Tom’s expense😂😂🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
“Do not waste time bothering whether you “love “Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone you will presently come to love him.” – C.S. Lewis
Grab your coffee because you do NOT want to miss t Grab your coffee because you do NOT want to miss this behind the scenes chat. ❤️❤️❤️

Me and a couple of my brave friends taught a class this week called Lucy Libido.  It’s in my private group but I’m downloading it so I can send it to you if you want it. It’s THE ACTUAL BEST.  Especially when you watch the faces of @candacecrabtree  and @kellylynam  as I teach.  Lemme know in the comments if you want the link by showing me your most used emoji❤️❤️❤️❤️
My forever valentine is pretty handy to have aroun My forever valentine is pretty handy to have around. He’s my favorite hiking partner and an excellent homebody, like me. 😂🥳❤️

Almost exactly 21 years ago today, we ran our first half marathon together in Strawberry Plains.  Right before  the race started , in the front seat of his Honda Accord, he gave me a steroid shot in my foot so I could actually complete the race. Don’t worry, he’s also an excellent podiatrist. The race folks passing by our car didn’t know that though. 😂🕺🏻 

The whole race he kept telling me to keep a steady pace. “You keep running really fast for a while and then slowing way down.” Little did he know that he was witnessing the cautionary tale of life with me. There’s 100 miles a hour and there’s in bed with my biomat.  I don’t have the steady pace gear setting.  Thankfully, he does and keeps me from running myself into the ground. I like to think I keep him entertained with my flashes of crazy woman intensity.  At least that’s what I tell myself. 💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼

Give me a ❤️ in the comments if you and your honey pie are exact opposites.  Happy love weekend.
As a physician and a long time skeptic of almost a As a physician and a long time skeptic of almost anything “natural,” including my hair color 😂😍, I’m no stranger to doubts and confusion and lackluster results around essential oils. And by the way, nobody thought they were WEIRDER than me:)) I bought my first starter kit so my friend would stop telling me how much I was sure to love the oils.  In other words, so she’d  hush up about oils already. (😂love you forever @fieldstonehill )

Honestly, I thought it was the craziest thing I had ever paid good money for.

And as a certified skeptic who let her kit languish in the recesses of her china cabinet for a year, I hope to dispel a few of the myths that often surround oils so you can feel confident and empowered and EDUCATED to make these little gems part of your mama toolbox. We absolutely have no idea how we would live without them in our house. Just ask Stevie. 

So join me tomorrow for an  awesome online class where I shall bust the myths surrounding these little miracle drops.  Tell your friends, sisters, Momma's and bff's to join us for a fun, informative and jam packed online class!! I'll take you through the 7 Myths About Oils & the Truths that will surprise you ALONG with BONUS CONTENT about which oils you shouldn’t be without for use “after hours”💃🏼💃🏼🕺🏻🕺🏻

I’ll be streaming it live to You Tube at 
Noon tomorrow!!

Remember I’m giving away an EPIC diffuser tomorrow so comment below with your questions or thoughts about these unicorn tears or something you USED to think about oils before you actually tried them.  Your comment will enter you for the giveaway!!

Ps. I can’t  wait to share my own story with you about the absolute transformation those little bottles created in my own life🤓🍃💪🏼😍🤓

Pss. Giving a diffuser tour tomorrow in stories.  All 18 of them. 😳😱🥳🥳
Okay let’s play a game called how many diffusers Okay let’s play a game called how many diffusers does Ms Edie have going in her house on any given day??? (Not counting the ones in boxes in my Young Living hoard😂🤩)

Your guess will enter you for my giveaway of this AMAZING diffuser, only in white!! It’s actually still available for a VERY LIMITED time so grab it while you can!!

Also for your supreme entertainment, Tom did a polar plunge in the lake today at a chilly 35 degrees. Check out my stories for a good laugh😱❄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️
Let me brighten up your Monday with my favorite ra Let me brighten up your Monday with my favorite rainbow of magic plant juice!

This amazing diffuser (the one with the wood trim, which has been out of stock for EVER) has had a makeover and is now available in WHITE!!!!

AND???

I’m giving one away this week here on IG and here’s how you enter to win!

1. Like and comment on all 5 posts this week (Monday-Friday).

2. Comment on this post and tell me what your favorite YL product is OR what your curious about when it comes to oils or natural health.

3. TAG a friend on THIS post and if you end up winning the diffuser, I’ll send them the OTHER diffuser in this picture. (It’s called the Desert Mist and is also one of my FAVES!)

THAT is all.

Yay for diffusers and plant juice and magic potions.

Happy MONDAY!!!!

Ps. This will likely sell out fast so if you are already with Young Living you should grab it soon and if you are not you can get a basic kit to get started and then that will allow you to order this diffuser. Message me here if you need help!! You can go to ediewadsworth.com to order through my link and get added to my private education group❤️
“We are above all things loved--that is the good “We are above all things loved--that is the good news of the gospel--and loved not just the way we turn up on Sundays in our best clothes and on our best behavior and with our best feet forward, but loved as we alone know ourselves to be, the weakest and shabbiest of what we are along with the strongest and gladdest. To come together as people who believe that just maybe this gospel is actually true should be to come together like people who have just won the Irish Sweepstakes. It should have us throwing our arms around each other like people who have just discovered that every single man and woman in those pews is not just another familiar or unfamiliar face but is our long-lost brother and our long-lost sister because despite the fact that we have all walked in different gardens and knelt at different graves, we have all, humanly speaking, come from the same place and are heading out into the same blessed mystery that awaits us all. This is the joy that is so apt to be missing, and missing not just from church but from our own lives--the joy of not just managing to believe at least part of the time that it is true that life is holy, but of actually running into that holiness head-on.”
― Frederick Buechner, Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons
2 years ago today, your world shattered into a mil 2 years ago today, your world shattered into a million pieces.

Sometimes I marvel at how we were blessed enough to be there holding you when it all came crashing down. I do know this—I can’t remember my life without you.

I do know that thousands of tears and meals and boo-boos and toy trucks later, we stand in awe of you---your courage, your brave big boy fight, your tender little boy heart, your hilarious old man ways. 

We know how sacred this walk with you is and we don’t take it lightly.

We are here for it all and we couldn’t be more grateful.

We have always loved you and you have always been our special gift.

 Love you little one. Let’s keep listening for Aslan. He will find a way to put everything back together. 

“Herein lies the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Do not be afraid.”
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

© Copyright 2008-2019 life{in}grace · All Rights Reserved · Graphic Design by Jenna Riccio Laible · Website by Erin Ulrich