Here we are at Week One of Lent -- day six of my Lenten resolve to let my hair grow. It's a different kind of penance, born of what I see as a need for me to lighten up a bit so that my demeanor reflects more of the peace and joy that comes from my relationship with God. Penance is an atonement for sin, yes, and it is easy to see how atoning for sin can be seen as punishment -- Christ died on the cross to atone for our sins, we are told. Yet the object of atonement is not punishment but healing. Christ's suffering and death would be meaningless if it did not obtain a greater good, the healing of our relationship with God.
But I'm supposed to lighten up here. And on that lighter side, as you can see from the pictures, there has not been a great deal of growth, neither pilar nor spiritual. I half expected a Chia experience. I was hoping for a time-lapse version of Lent where I would almost immediately have hair and achieve enlightenment. Well, obviously that didn't happen. Yet there was still progress. I am a little bit fuzzy, and I am reminded of something I've know all along -- things take time, and there are things you can't rush. Spiritual growth takes time.
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