Who knows what today is?! If you didn't catch it from my title...today marks the beginning of lent!
Some of you may not know this, but I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school for about 9 years. One of the most well known and most widely practiced events in the Catholic Church calendar is the season of Lent, which is the 40 days leading up to Easter. Its known as the time when you give something up, or "fast" from something.
As a kid, lent meant that I couldn't eat something that I really liked. It was a time of suffering because I really wanted soda, or chocolate, but couldn't eat it. I remember one year, my whole family gave up all junk food, and I hated it. Rice cakes became my best friend. The lent tradition is that on Sundays you can break your fast if you want to, so my mom would buy some sort of sweet for us all to enjoy for that one day. One time she bought carrot cake as our treat, and I was furious because to me, since it was called carrot cake, it meant that it was still healthy food, and not junk food. Silly me.
When I was in high school, I stopped practicing lent because I didn't see the point of it. Why would I go through 40 days of making myself suffer because I couldn't eat something that I wanted?!
This year, the Lord really changed my heart to lent, and opened my eyes to see it in a completely different way. I've never done something personal or meaningful for lent - I've only done things because my teachers and parents told me to.
I did some research on the origins of lent, and what the purpose of it is. I learned that lent is the time leading up to Easter because it is meant to prepare us for the Resurrection of Jesus. The major themes that people focus on during lent are repentance, reflection, prayer, and self-denial.
Lent comes directly from the example that Jesus Christ set for us in the Bible. In Matthew 4, Jesus goes into the wilderness and fasts for 40 days, then is tempted by the devil. During Jesus' time of fasting, he pressed so deeply into His Father for support that He was able to stand against the devil's temptations. After Jesus came out of his 40 day fast in the wilderness, He began His public ministry.
This is why Lent is so closely associated with fasting. Since Christ demonstrated fasting in order to prepare for His ministry on earth, how much more should we? He is our primary example.
I know that fasting is so much more than just giving up junk food, or soda, or candy. But why else should we fast? And what does fasting look for us now?
Isaiah 58 is one of my favorite passages of Scripture, and it gives a clear picture of the type of fasting that God calls us to:
"Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"
- Isaiah 58:6-8
I love this picture that God gives us. When we fast, we are denying the ourselves so that there is more room for God to work in our lives. He breaks chains, destroys strongholds, lets the oppressing things go. This is a picture of freedom that comes only through fasting. It also leaves an effect on the lives of people around us. When we fast, we have extra to give to others and to meet their needs.
Here's what Margaret Feinberg says about Lent,
There is
a reason why Lent is associated so closely to fasting. For me, Lent is the time of year when I tug on Papa’s sleeve and say,
“I want more, more, more of you!”
Hungry. Persistent.
Expectant. It’s
more than a set of dates on the church calendar—it’s a season to passionately
pursue God and live wide-eyed to the wonder of who He is. The
wonders of God are waiting for you during Lent. This season is laced with
opportunity that will stir your hunger to know God more.
This Lent, I'm going into this season with expectancy to see more of God present in my life. I'm changing my perspective on it. Instead of going into this time only focusing on how difficult fasting can be, I'm facing it with excitement because it is a huge opportunity for growth. I'm going into this season with a set of things that I want to take of hold of, rather than give up. I want to wake up on Easter Sunday and be a different person than I am right now.
What better time for God to work on me, for Him to challenge me, and for Him to pour more of Him into me than in the time to prepare for Easter?
Lent should be thought of more as "what am I going to lay hold of?"
rather than, "what am I going to give up?" What am I going to add to my life, instead of taking something away?
I'm actually going to be doing both - laying hold as well as giving up. I’m challenging you to take time today to ask God what He’s calling you
toward during Lent this year. Get practical. Do something for the Lord that you've never done before.
Here are my plans for Lent:
1. 7 Sacred Pauses - Pause 7 times a day daily to pray and wait on the Lord. I'm doing this because I've been so busy, I need to rely on the Lord even more in the midst of it. I also don't want to pray mindlessly, but be intentional about it.
2. Social Media Fast - No Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. They've been distracting, and its been keeping me from focusing on the Lord during my quiet times.
If you are feeling resistant to doing something for
Lent, what is holding you back? Will you open up your heart to allow God to
move in a deeper way? What is going to be your plan of action to practically allow God to move in your life?
