Dipped In Wax
Dipped in Wax
Why Lent Helps Us Soften Again
Hello, Lent.
Lent is the season that prepares us for Easter. Before we celebrate resurrection, we slow down. We pay attention. We notice what has been weighing on us.
A friend once shared an image that has stayed with me for years. He said that every day when we step out into the world—into work, school, relationships—it’s like being dipped in liquid wax.
At first, that doesn’t sound so bad. Wax feels warm. Comforting, even.
But over time, wax hardens.
The Layers We Carry
Some days the wax is guilt.
Things we’ve done. Things we’ve left undone.
Guilt is uncomfortable. So we hide it. Explain it away. Shift it onto someone else.
It’s an old story. In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve eat the fruit, they feel guilt. What do they do?
They hide.
Then they blame.
The woman.
The serpent.
Anyone but themselves.
Blame feels protective. It’s like a coating that shields us from the sting of guilt. But that protective layer eventually hardens.
Other days the wax isn’t guilt—it’s hurt. It’s what’s been done to us. The wounds others have projected onto us. The shame that comes not from what we’ve done, but from what we’ve endured.
We carry anxiety.
Fear.
Anger.
Stress.
Grief.
Each layer feels protective at first. But slowly, it becomes numbing. Insulating. Restricting.
Day after day, another dip. Another layer.
Until the wax forms a shell.
And we feel disconnected—from others, from ourselves, and especially from God.
Why Lent Matters
This is why Lent matters.
Lent is the season when we stop pretending the wax isn’t there.
We stop hiding.
We stop blaming.
We get honest.
But the solution isn’t scraping the wax off ourselves through willpower or self-improvement.
The solution is warmth.
When we come near to God—through prayer, confession, worship, silence—it’s like stepping closer to candlelight. Not harsh heat. Gentle warmth.
And warmth melts wax.
In God’s presence, something begins to soften.
Guilt melts in the face of forgiveness.
Shame melts in the face of grace.
Fear melts in the presence of love.
Back in the garden, God doesn’t shame Adam and Eve. He seeks them out and asks:
“Where are you?”
It’s not the voice of an angry judge. It’s the voice of a Father looking for His children.
Come Out of Hiding
That’s the invitation of Lent.
Come out of hiding.
Bring the hardened layers.
Step into the warmth.
We don’t prepare for Easter by trying harder. We prepare by remembering who we are.
Beloved.
Forgiven.
Seen.
Secure.
Cared for.
When the wax melts, we’re free again.
Free to feel.
Free to hope.
Free to love.
Free to give.
That’s a beautiful way to begin Lent.
So, my friends, may the hardened places in you be gently warmed by the love of God. May what has built up begin to soften. And may you move with freedom and joy in the days ahead.
