The End of Lent

First--you should check out:
http://jimdietz68.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-summary-of-religions-in-140.html

It's pithy, but generally accurate, and an easy way to remember differences.

Anyways, today I'm at a volleyball tournament (what else is knew...) and in my hotel room avoiding the noise for a little longer after suffering the worst migraine I've had in at least five years yesterday.  I'm still physically exhausted from it, but it is gone.  (If you suffer migraines--you understand and I share my sympathy with you as well)

So I decided I'd write a blog.  I've been working on this for the past several weeks...basically the length of Lent, though in the modern sense of the word--I'm not really Christian, but that's a different discussion entirely.  Though I am not a "Christian" as defined by most Americans, that should not suggest that the teachings of Jesus are wrong or worthless--far from it.  They are timeless.  They are awesome to strive for--if impossible for me to ever truly obtain.

So, six weeks ago, I started working on forgiveness and compassion.  For better or worse, throughout life, I've been slow to anger, but once I get there, I hold grudges and struggle to forgive.  I've vowed in my anger that given a chance I'd willingly kill certain other people--all with the intent of making them suffer the pain they inflicted on me.  No--this is not good and typing it, it really makes me look like a jerk.  Of course, some of it is awkward because no one likes to ever consider himself mean, petty, or anything like that. In the end, in our hearts, we all have things like that though.

So, six weeks ago...I realized there are a few people in life that I'd grown to hate, really hate, and I realized--that's not what any of the world's holy books teach, and with the start of Lent, I realized--I need to change.  I've tried and what I've found is, I don't really hate any of those people.  Actually, I pity them, I'm sad for them--that I want to know how they became twisted. 

Why did Person A break up a marriage?  Was the money, the gold-digging, that important?  How does the money bring happiness?

How can Person B serve as a minister/priest of a Christian faith and yet put money before ethics and the teachings of the Bible?  What happened to cause that?  Was it a desire to be loved by those with money, or was it a way to gain influence or status?

How can Person C make false accusations about me--serious enough that I really ought to consider pressing charges of slander?  Is C that twisted?  Her daughter was removed from a team I coach because she skipped practice, skipped a team obligation, and skipped her community service--not to mention skipping a dozen classes?  Does that justify trying to destroy my career or my life?

Here we are now--Easter Weekend.  The point where the stories say Jesus returns to life from the dead (I don't buy that it literally happened that way)--but its point holds true...we are able to gain new life after 'death'--but that holds true with our daily life.  We can succeed after failure, we can suffer the greatest emotional injuries, yet live to fight another day.  We can break down our own personal internal barriers--and we can move on to focus on the good and the better things.

I'm not writing that to say I'm perfect--I'm not.  I'm still struggling with these things, but I think I am in a better place than I was six weeks ago, and I think it's a place I'll be able to stay in emotionally and mentally.  If you read this, try it in your life.  If we all work to be better, then bit by bit, we have the chance to make the world match the ideal held up to us across all faiths.