Forgiven

Growing up I was always very confused about lent.  Ok, so we give something up for lent.  Candy? Mouthing off to our parents? Meat on Fridays?  Lying? Yelling?  Alcohol? So what? Then six weeks later we just go back to living the same life we were living before.  It never made any sense to me whatsoever.  I gave up giving up for Lent in all of my adult life.

Today I read How a Lent that Fails Actually Succeeds at Holy Experience and now I understand.  How this preparation time proves that we cannot do it at all, for any length of time on our own. 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 8-10 NIV

Forgiven by Sanctus Real

Well the past is playing with my head
And failure knocks me down again
I am reminded of the wrong that I have said and done
And that devil just won’t let me forget

In this life I know what I’ve been
But here in Your arms I know what I am
I’m forgiven I’m forgiven
I don’t have to carry the weight of who
I’ve been ’cause I’m forgiven

And my mistakes are running through my mind
And I relive my days in the middle of the night
And I struggle with my pain
And wrestle with my pride
Sometimes I feel alone and I cry

When I don’t fit in and I don’t feel like I belong anywhere
When I don’t measure up to much in this life
Oh, I’m a treasure in the arms of Christ ‘Cause ….

In this life I know what I’ve been
But here in Your arms I know what I am
I’m forgiven I’m forgiven
I don’t have to carry the weight of who
I’ve been ’cause I’m forgiven