“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” ~ Romans 6:8
March 2010
Dear Family & Friends,
March 14 will mark two years here in Buenos Aires! I plan to take a personal retreat that weekend to reflect and give thanks for all God has done! I also give thanks for all my family and friends who have supported me in so many meaningful ways these past two years. My anniversary date happens to also fall during the season of Lent. Here in the Southern Hemisphere, the 40-days of Lent span the closing weeks of summer and the beginning days of autumn.
Last year, while away on my one-year anniversary retreat, I made some helpful parallels between autumn and Lent. I went on a boat ride through the local rivers near the city. Being the last weekend of summer, life along the riverbanks was still green and plush. However, I observed one lone tree that jumped the gun a bit in showing off its autumn colors. There in the mist of all the other green trees, this one colorful tree reminded me that autumn was around the corner.
In his book Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer reflects on the seasons of life. On autumn he writes, “In my own experience of autumn, I am rarely aware of the seeds being planted. Instead, my mind is on the face that the green growth of summer is browning and beginning to die. My delight in the autumn colors is always tinged with melancholy, a sense of impending loss that is only heightened by the beauty all around. I am drawn down by the prospect of death more than I am lifted up by the hope of new life”
Palmer goes on to conclude, “Autumn constantly reminds me that my daily dyings are necessary precursors to new life. If I try to ‘make’ a life that defies the diminishments of autumn, the life I end up with will be artificial, at best, and utterly colorless as well. But when I yield to the endless interplay of living and dying, dying and living, the life I am given will be real and colorful, fruitful and whole.”
I am learning that Lent is a season to die to the self that does not reflect the characteristics true to God’s image and Kingdom. It is a time to confront our false self. It is a time to put to death identity, value, meaning, and purpose that are inconsistent with being created in the image of God for His purposes. I understand one purpose of the disciplines of Lent is to put to death those parts of our lives that prevent us from living more fully into God’s resurrection Kingdom.
Very soon, the abundance of trees lining the streets and filling the parks and plazas of Buenos Aires will once again turn yellow and gold. These remaining weeks of Lent, I pray that these increasing autumn colors will serve as a daily reminder of the areas of my life that I need to die to, so that I can more fully live the resurrection. As Palmer reminds us, these daily dyings are necessary precursors to new life, more fruitful and whole.
With Love & Gratitude, david