A Lesson on Lent: Tuning Out…and Tuning In.

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I’m amazed at how quickly technology moves. Gone are the days of Blockbuster, for example. People now use smart tv’s to tune into Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

The same is true with music. Nine times out of ten while driving, I listen to music I’ve downloaded on iTunes, not the radio.

Tuning into the radio demands patience, as you literally have to turn a knob to the left or the right until you find the right station.

One turn too far creates static, muffling the music.

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Isn’t that what Lent is all about? Making adjustments, fine tuning, searching for the voice of the Lord, much like finding a station on the radio?

So what adjustments do we need to make in order to hear his voice clearly this Lent?

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Maybe we need to dial down time spent on our phones, turning up time spent in prayer.

Maybe it means dialing down our portions at meals, turning up our awareness of the poor.

Maybe it means dialing down our need to be heard, fine tuning our listening skills instead.

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Just as we expect to hear a musician’s voice when tuning into the radio, so we should expect to hear the Lord this Lent. 

It’s just a matter of making the right adjustments; of tuning out – and tuning in.