Judy and I are currently hooked on one of those Netflix series that each time we watch it, we say, “Maybe we shouldn’t be watching this.” It’s violent and generally depraved, but oh, so addictive. The main evil character in the story is a ruthless, self-serving person who appears to have no conscience and no regard for others’ lives.

old BibleHe imagines himself to be a highly religious person and frequently prefaces his statements, “The Good Book says,” and then follows that with some statement of his own making that has no relation whatsoever to biblical teachings. By stating, “The Good Book says,” he gets the attention of those listening just so he can state his own self-serving opinions and values. He uses the authority of the Bible and totally misses the point.

I do that. I don’t use the words, “The Good Book says,” but I too get casual about what the Bible says and what it means. I convince myself, like the character in the TV series, that I know what “the Good Book says.” I base my life, my decisions, my words and actions on a few of the stories and scriptures that support my views and that I hold onto for comfort when life is not going well.

However, I neglect the parts of the Bible that suggest that my life needs to be bigger than my own needs and wishes, and that spiritual maturity comes only when life teaches me how much I have missed the point. I fall back on my favorite parables and promises, but I neglect those teachings that make it clear that suffering is the primary avenue to transformation.

Lent is about noticing how lopsided my views are, how I have interpreted the Bible to match my personal ideas of how things ought to be. Lent is about voluntarily stepping onto the avenue of suffering in order to see what awaits.

Coming up: legitimate suffering vs. needless suffering