Lent schment.  We’re in it and I don’t like it.  You’ve heard of Lent.  When the Church devotes about 40 days to preparing our hearts and minds for something really powerful and transforming that’s about to happen – the gift of Christ and Easter resurrection.  Sounds cool. 

The power part is cool.  Getting ready is not so cool.  Lent can be depressing, actually.  It’s a time of prayerful repentance, sacrificial giving, and self-denial.  Golly … who wants that?

Over the years – maybe because Lent is so hard to do – the Church has adopted various expressions of self-denial that are less ominous.  For example, the most famous expression of Lent is when we “give up” something.  

I’ll Give Up Lent For Lent

I’ve never given up anything for Lent.  Does this make me a bad pastor?  The truth is I’d like to give up Lent for Lent.  Why not?  It would be a noble sacrifice for the good of all.  Then we could turn our sorrow into joy early, and enjoy the blessings of God’s grace sooner!  Great idea!  Let’s get to the good stuff now!

OK, I get it.  Maybe I do need Lent in my life.  Maybe I need to slow the madness of my self-absorption, and honestly examine what I am — a flawed and limited human.  Maybe I need Lent, but I don’t have to like it. 

When It Comes To Flaws, You’re More Interesting

I think a much better idea is for you to slow the madness of your self-absorption and honestly examine what you are.  Yeah, let’s look at your flaws.  It’s a lot more fun to talk about you.  When it comes to flaws, you’re more interesting. 

I’ve often wondered why Jesus’ little parable about the log and speck never shows up in the lectionary during Lent.  This would be a perfect self-examination parable — when Jesus confronts us for criticizing the little flaws in others while ignoring the big flaws in ourselves.  He calls us hypocrites.  Ouch!   That’s honest!

What log?  There’s no log in my eye.  Besides, what about you?  Look at that ugly speck in your eye. 

I don’t want to talk about my weaknesses, remember?  Yours are more fun (because they’re not mine!).  The best way to avoid “spotting” my weaknesses it to deflect attention to yours.  So, even the big log in my eye is tiny compared to that speck of dust in your eye. 

Once I Had Blind Spots, Now I See (What You Have Always Seen)

Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham were a couple of psychologists in 1955 who developed the Johari Window¹  to help us understand our tendency to ignore those negative aspects about ourselves that others plainly see.  Luft and Ingham called them blind spots, which they describe in terms of an opaque “window pane” because it prevents me from seeing things about me that everyone else sees plainly.  We all have blind spots.  It’s a bit embarrasing to think of all the stupid things about me that others see and I don’t…or won’t see.  Am I blind, or is the log in my eye a sequoia?

I have hope.  Sure, the log is huge, and I might be blind to the crud in my life I have ignored for so long.  But the dark shadow of Lent will soon bask in the bright morning light of Easter.  This is the power I mentioned earlier.  

Think about this.  Sure, it’s hard to honestly examine myself, especially given my many and huge flaws and limits.  But the tough truth-telling of honest self-examination washes (like spiritual Windex!) the window, revealing more about myself, but also revealing more about a loving who God already knows everything anyway!

So, OK.  Even though Lent might be good for me, I don’t have to like it.  But there is good news coming.  I think I can see it. 

© Copyright by Jeffrey Y. Harlow, PhD (2010).

1. Luft, Joseph (1969). Of Human Interaction, Palo Alto, CA: National Press