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Lent is two weeks from being done. There are many of us – myself included until a few years ago – who look at Lent as the one time a year to try to be the person God created us to be. And there are more still who look at Lent as some annoying thing we’re supposed to do, and rarely think about God while doing it (that was definitely me for most of my life).
The things we give up, if given up for the right reasons, help us to become not just better Christians, but a much better version of ourselves.
We take the 40(+) days of Lent, and we try to be more disciplined in at least one area of our lives – the food we eat, the words we say, the amount of time we pray, etc. And even if we are successful, once Easter rolls around, we go back to our old ways.
Why? Why do we perceive Lent, and the things we do/don’t do as a negative thing?
And this isn’t anything new – In Psalms 50:16-17, God says,
“Why do you recite my commandments and profess my covenant with your mouth? You hate discipline; you cast my words behind you!”
We hate discipline. We don’t like being limited. Like Lent, we perceive being a better Christian in a negative light. Something that we begrudgingly have to do. If you read my post awhile back on littering, you know I pick up litter that isn’t mine. What I didn’t mention in that post, is that I detest picking up other people’s trash. I don’t want to do it. There are times when I’ve ignored it. There are times when I wonder what it’d be like if I didn’t believe in God. I know there are people out there who choose not to believe in God because they think they are more free to do whatever they want. But I think that’s living in ignorance – believing that your actions won’t have any consequences. Just because a child doesn’t want to go on a timeout doesn’t mean they won’t.
So we think that 40 days is enough for the year, and we can go back to how things were. But what kind of person would you be if you continued (in some partial way) your Lenten promise?
Gave up chocolate? Maybe eat a little less to honor the body God has given you.
Started praying more? Keep praying!
Gave up swearing? Maybe don’t use negative words to attack another person.
Gave up social media? Maybe only go on for a specific amount of time.
Gave up TV? Watch a shorter amount each day.
