It’s been said that each of us has a “God-shaped” hole inside, a hole that we can spend a lifetime trying to fill. We may try to fill it with possessions, with food, with chemicals, with money, with power, with certainty, with fame or hubris, even with shame. None of these will completely fill a hole that is “God-shaped.” Only God’s agape love can fill that hole.
During Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22, we will go on a journey “Lookin’ for LOVE in all the right places.” The Christian scriptures offer many images of where grace, forgiveness, righteousness, and healing – all aspects of God’s agape love – can really be found. It turns out, as we’ll discover, that we don’t find these in the “usual” places. The “usual places” don’t offer us the deep sense of wholeness and happiness we seek, for they offer only temporary good feelings and transient satisfaction.
Lent is a wonderfully reflective time to assess where we can find meaning and purpose. We’ll move through some stories of Jesus to help us on our journey, “Lookin’ for LOVE in all the right places.”