From my youth, I vividly remember my Catholic schoolmates eating fish sticks on Fridays, chattering about what they gave up for Lent, and that they had “cheat days” on Sunday. I was raised Lutheran and my family also had a tradition of giving something up for Lent, but we were discouraged from “cheating” on Sunday, because that was “God’s day”.
Over time, my siblings and I learned that while it was hard to give something up for 6-7 weeks, we weren’t doing it to earn God’s favor – God’s grace has already been given to us through Christ. Rather, giving something up for Lent was a prompt for us to be more aware of our faith and to nurture our faith. Through the years, I usually have given something up for Lent – most often a favorite food or beverage – it serves as a good reminder that I need to keep working at making my faith and my relationship with God as the top priority in my life.
The last few years, I’ve felt called to also do some other things during Lent. I kept a journal and wrote down how I felt God had worked in my life that day. One Lenten season, I focused on all the blessings in my life and tried to write a thank you note each day during Lent to someone who had done something nice for me – high school teachers, neighbors, parents of our children’s friends, coworkers, the coffee barista, my siblings, etc… Another year, I focused on doing a “good deed” a day for a stranger; paying for the order of the person behind me at a drive-thru, paying the toll for a car behind me, dropping some change in an expired parking meter, distracting a toddler while a parent was completing some paperwork, etc…
This year during Lent, I’ll continue my practice of giving up a favorite food or beverage. (I’m writing this the weekend before Ash Wednesday and I need to hurry up and decide exactly what I will give up for Lent!) I’m also going to try something new for me: I’m going to set aside some time each day to listen to what God wants me to do “that” day. *gulp* To be honest, I’m sure there will be days I will not be a very good listener or very good in execution. I’m also very sure, that I will be surprised by the diversity of the opportunities, as well as how focusing a little more on listening to God every day will improve my relationship with God.
I’m really looking forward to my faith journey this Lenten season!
J. Blackwell, Lent 2015 for St. Mark Presbyterian
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