Well I’ve reached the halfway point in this Lenten journey. And although that seems like an important achievement to me, I am not seeing the obvious “halfway point” spiritual lessons to share, at least not at this moment. I did make a cursory search to spark an idea and found that at one of the festivals in Jerusalem, Jesus taught in the synagogue halfway through the celebration. There is also a fair amount of prophecy about the shift that happens halfway through the 7 year tribulation. Neither of these topics really capture where I am today.

So taking another approach, I thought about what halfway means to me. It’s usually a meeting point. I will sometimes work out the details to meet a friend at a halfway point. Why? Because we share the cost of getting together that way. Not just financial, but the time that it costs to travel.

Sometimes we think about meeting someone halfway in terms of forgiveness, or agreement about something that we’ve been in conflict over. I think many of us can relate to meeting somewhere in the middle, making our best effort to function optimally as a couple, as a parent with children, or as a leader with their team, etc.

All of this implies that there needs to be some effort from both parties. Whether that is divided equally or not is immaterial much of the time.

When I think of this Lent season, and what, or rather who I am celebrating, there is clearly nothing 50/50 about God and His relationship with me. He’s given everything in order to make it possible for me to be with Him. It is a partnership though and forgive me if this is theologically off base, but I’ll just say simplistically, that I’m contributing 1% and He’s giving 99%. I do have to make an effort. Matthew 6:33 says that I need to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” then God can do the 99% part.

Doesn’t it make sense that God requires us to meet Him somewhere. If He just did all of the work and handed it to us, without our interest, maybe without our knowledge, without out acceptance, then why do we need Him at all?

We have to choose Him.

We have to want Him and not be satisfied in ourselves, but only in Him. THEN He can add all of the things that we need and want and even blessings beyond our imagination.