Lent

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 - From Romans 10

It's so simple. So basic.

No theology. No complicated doctrine. No advanced degrees in Greek, Hebrew, or Phoenician required. No pilgrimages to The Holy Land. No miracles. No Science. No wins. No losses. No lengthy odysseys.

You just call on the name of the Lord. You call out to Him. The very act of talking to the Lord implies an awareness that He is; that He is there. You would not speak to a person not present, unless you were consciously affecting that person's presence, or crazy.

Of course . . . there are other elements involved: a confession of faith. Obedience to God's will. Loving others. Being thankful. Being humble. Being charitable. But these are not requirements of faith. They are, simply, evidence of it.

Faith. A belief that we'll get through this. We are not required to go to war, to participate in any marches, to join any political parties. You need not cover your car with bumper stickers (these are nothing more than telling, rather than showing). You just believe. Your view is eternal . . . you know . . . you know . . . that this life is just a drop in the bucket. It's not even that big of a deal. This present age may turn out to be the simulated life experience of someone else in eternity; and we're just along for the ride.

When we gather together, in Cafe Omega (my whimsical place in eternity, where we go and reflect on immortality, verses our experiences in the temporal plane), we'll laugh about how one or two of us were so concerned about some social or political cause, when all we really needed to do was take care of those around us.

 . . . in just the same way that we smile when a toddler is sad because he cannot find his favorite toy, knowing that it will be found in short order.

Lent is a simplification of everything. It's like Advent . . . a time to wait and be patient. To just . . . stop.

You may give up something for Lent. You may add something for Lent (more Bible study? A fitness regimen?). You'll practice the making of good choices.

But don't complicate things. Keep it simple. The days are getting longer . . . like they always do . . . like they always will . . . . It is just as certain as knowing that we will get through this.

As Dr. Leonard McCoy once said:

Of course! Of course!! A child could do it! A child could do it!!