Another year has brought us to the Lenten season. Fastnacht Day was come and gone and led us to the eventful day of Ashes. Now in day two people worldwide are struggling in the beginnings of their fast. Today I would like to ask, why do we give things up for Lent? Is it merely to impress others? Do we want to show that we can give something up? Does fasting intrigue us? Would we feel guilty if we did not give something up? Is it simply tradition? There are many reasons why we may give something up, but there is one reason that should actually matter. What is holding us back, what has become like an idol? Lent is a great time to refocus on who we were made to be. If you choose to give something up, you do not go and replace it with some other form of distraction, but you use that time to spend with God and your neighbor. You find ways to better yourself in your walk with Christ.
Wherever you are in your views on Lent, just remember each person is on a different journey; but we can still support one another in love as we strive to become better people for Christ. The item that I have given up has already, in day two, given me more "free time" that I am dedicating to studies and devotions with Christ. I hope to become more present with people, more present with Christ, and above all
more loving. I would like to end with a poem written by John Wesley:
O grant that nothing in my soul
May dwell, but Thy pure love alone!
O may Thy love possess me whole,
My joy, my treasure, and my crown.
Strange flames far from my heart remove!
My every act, word, thought be love.
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