Hunny! 40 Days in the 100 Aker Wood

Day 7 – Wednesday after 1st Sunday of Lent

To Read:

Christopher Robin lived at the other end of the Forest, and when he came back with Rabbit, and saw the front half of Pooh, he said, “Silly old Bear,” in such a loving voice that everybody felt quite hopeful again.”I was just beginning to think,” said Bear, sniffing slightly, “that Rabbit might never be able to use his front door again.  And I should hate that,” he said.

Rabbit scratched his whiskers thoughtfully, and pointed out that, when once Pooh was pushed back, he was back, and of course nobody was more glad to see Pooh than he was, still there it was, some lived in trees and some lived underground, and –

(Winnie the Pooh – Chapter Two – Pooh Goes Visiting)

From the Scriptures:

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”                    

(Luke 12v13-15) 

To Reflect:

To paraphrase the words of the Jessie J’s song ‘It’s Not About the Honey, Honey, Honey” it’s about the greed that demands to be fed one way or another – a greed which makes us and those around us pay a different more damaging price than carrying a few extra kilos.

This is one of the reasons why, though excess doesn’t help anyone, that I do not get too hung up about Lenten disciplines concerning food and drink.  Eat as much chocolate as you usually do, but try to ensure it is FairTrade chocolate.  Go out for a meal if you can afford to, but try to leave a larger tip than usual (10% to 12% of the tab is recommended in the UK).  Treat yourself but treat others as well.  Personally I love eating Ice Cream all year round, but I love eating it even more when treating friends to eat Ice Cream with me.

Honey is good, but more honey (and condensed milk!) than we need brings everything to a halt and puts a stopper on our lives and the lives of those around us.

When greed takes hold of us the first victim is truth.  It wasn’t, we say to ourselves, that I ate/drank/spent too much it was other people not understanding my needs (or is that my ‘wants?’).  We easily blame others for our sinfulness and then declare a ‘pity party’ to which everyone is invited to hear us wail with Pooh, “But I can’t stay here for a week!”

If we are very fortunate, and this is why the faithful must not give up the habit of meeting together (Hebrews 10v24-25), we will have generous and gentle Christopher Robin-like friends who will tell us home truths and lovingly sit with us ‘Silly old Bears’ and watch and wait while we get thin.

“How long does getting thin take?”  Well it would be lovely if we could solve all our spiritual vices with a week of going without honey.  But I suspect if that were possible the process would quickly become a source of spiritual Pride and we would be back to being stuck in a hole very quickly.

‘Getting thin’ as any slimming coach will let you know, takes a lifestyle change and learning a different attitude to ourselves is as much as about self care as about our diet.  Fortunately you and I have set aside these Forty Days to help us get ready for the journey of a lifetime.  We are only one week in to the journey and some of us (putting my own hand in the air) may have already slipped up in keeping a Lenten Discipline.  Do not worry, we are in good company as many of the heroes of the faith also had to try, try and try again.  And sometimes it was only when they failed that they final began to succeed

To Pray: 

(Anselm of Bec)

To Do: 

1)  How is your relationship with possessions going? (see Luke 12v15 above).  Find something that is especially precious to you and give it away.

2)  Look again at your Lenten Disciplines.  If they ‘fit’ and are helping you get spiritually fitter keep at them, even if you’ve slipped up once or twice.  If they don’t ‘fit’ it is OK to take a Mulligan and pick others that will help you do a better job