Lent: Why my toe nails are purple

Happy Lent! That doesn't sound quite right, does it? Lent is the time in the church year known for  - well, not happy. After coming off the high of Christmas it seems to sneak up on me every year. Wednesday night church services, purple paraments and banners on the alter, familiar Lenten hymns all pointing to what agony Christ took in my place. It's the season of repentance. 


In this pastor's house we all take a deep breath after Transfiguration Sunday. This is one of the busiest times of year - an extra midweek service to prepare. Even with the pulpit swap of local pastors bulletins must be typed up and copied, music must be programmed along with the usual Sunday service. Classes and meetings continue around this frantic schedule while the kids and I continue doing our thing, running to lessons, making meals at the right time so there's enough time for pastor husband to get to his meetings, classes, worship. There's a Seder Supper to plan this year for Maundy Thursday along with all the other Holy Week services going on. Yes, we take a deep breath..... and exhale.

The season of repentance. Who has time to repent? And what exactly are we repenting of? We can easily coast through this time in a blur and keep on keeping on until we get to Easter. But what richness we will have lost; where will we find our joy? 
In a culture that doesn't want to admit there is anything wrong - nothing to "repent" of - I can get dragged along to. And take my family with me. I'm still in church every Sunday, responding to the liturgy of confession and absolution; Finding comfort in knowing I am a child of God; Strengthened in Word and Sacrament. But Lent - it comes once a year - slows me down. Encourages me to admit my guilt for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I am a poor, miserable sinner desperately in need of a Saviour. When I recognize that, I am overwhelmed with gratitude on Easter Sunday and shout "He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!" with my fellow worshipers. 

 So for me, Lent is the time not to forget - not to forget I'm a sinner in need of a Saviour. Shoot, I don't even remember why I walked into a room sometimes until I leave it and then remember why I went in there in the first place! I sometimes completely forget my phone number. Or my children's names. So yeah, I've painted my toe nails purple so that even when I'm naked as the day I was born I can look down and remember. I wear the pin of a nail engraved with "forgiven" so I remember the cost of my salvation and that I am indeed forgiven because of what Christ has done, certainly not any contribution I've made! 

I wear my "by grace alone" necklace all year to remind me of his undeserved love for me. 
In an effort to impress this on my children as the Lord has tasked parents with - we work on memorizing a Lenten hymn each year. This year we'll be learning "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross".  My kids still remember the ones we learned in the past - "Go to Dark Gethsemane" and "Glory Be to Jesus".  We make our Lenten garden as a visual reminder of his love for us. We do special devotions - 

Nothing I do can contribute one iota to my salvation. And boy, do I need saving. He has done.it.all. That is what we strive to focus on in our home during Lent so that come Easter morning we are ready to celebrate and shout with pure joy and relief, "He is Risen! He is risen indeed!"