Christian tradition sets the season of Lent at 40 days, plus six Sundays, for a season lasting 46 days. The season is supposed to help us dwell on the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus. He suffered in the desert for 40 days before his ministry began. He suffered all the torture Evil could throw at him as he bled and died for humanity.
This year I am realizing that 46 days is a long time to dwell on something so somber. I'm ready for the hurrahs of "Up From the Grave He Arose!" So often we have to wait. We have to wait it out. We know that things will be better...eventually.
Maybe you are waiting for a raise, a clean bill of health, a wedding, a baby, a weekend, a vacation, a completed project, a restored relationship. We are conditioned these days not to wait. We carry devices that can answer almost any question we can pose. It only takes a few seconds. We can order almost anything we want (and can pay for) and have it arrive in two days.
And so this season may feel exhausting. We don't like waiting. And the waiting is even worse when we are supposed to focus on mortality, deprivation, and suffering. It's all a reminder that Jesus is with us even as we go through dark, extended times.
God hears us as we cry out, "How long, O Lord?"
