When I think about fasting, I immediately think of physical fasting. Perhaps this stems from my first exposure to Lent being friends giving up chocolate or sweets. But as Pastor Leigh described in her sermon a few weeks ago, a Lenten fast is not necessarily a physical one. Instead it may be a “giving up” of behaviors that don’t support one’s faith. I considered some of the examples she brought up, such as fasting “negative thoughts about neighbor” or “fear … about people who don’t look, or act, or think…” like me. My initial reaction is to think I am above that. I love everyone. I know that everyone I meet is a child of God. But as I go through my daily life, particularly in stressful environments like the veterinary hospital where I work, or during a chaotic commute on the Mass Pike, I can easily lose that sentiment and find maintaining my “children of God” mindset to be a challenge. It can be hard, at times, to prevent quick judgments from forming in my mind.
But I can carry with me the intention to love like Jesus loves and bring myself back, again and again, to thoughts of loving kindness and compassion rather than judgment. I can remember that people of all backgrounds and means, from those who struggle to get by to those with considerable privilege, suffer and experience times of hardship. I can bring this to my mind when someone treats me in a less-than-polite manner as a counter to my initial judgment. I can give that person a break. I don’t have all the details and it’s strange, really, that judgments come so readily when I have little sense of what someone may be going through when our paths happen to cross. I recall a saying: “Be kind. For everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” It’s definitely easier to be kind to people who are pleasant or follow societal expectations for “good behavior”. But, God loves all her children, regardless of their imperfections, social awkwardness, or curt manner. I can offer everyone a smile or a kind word and pray that they find relief from whatever it is that burdens them and that I might find the willingness to accept people as they are.
So, my fast this year is to replace (or, at least, to promptly follow) judgment with loving kindness and try to keep this in the forefront of my mind as I move through my day. The season of Lent is a reminder to be more intentional about my thoughts and actions as I attempt to be a small light in our sometimes dark, often trying world. So I hope I can remember to take at least a moment throughout my day to allow God’s spirit to meet me in the midst of my worldly troubles as I seek to emulate the goodwill and love that God freely offers to all Creation.
-Kate Moser
Sudbury UMC Lenten Devotions 