I always think it odd this time of year, we all struggle to figure out our Lenten fasts and then proceed for forty days to deprive ourselves of some of life's most glorious pleasures. I go to eat with a friend and they have given up meat or sweets. I go to send someone an email and they will not respond until Easter. Music, phones, TV, meals, alcohol, the list goes on as to what is given. I myself have even been creative and given up buying coffee before, only to have others buy it for me!:) Currently I am working on depriving myself of mindless technology and social media such as always turning on the TV in the mornings, always turning to Facebook or Instagram when bored, does it really matter what is going on in the world of social media?? If they are truly a friend, will I not know? and always searching the internet for random facts and knowledge...I am moving towards using this time to pray for a friend, prayer walk through my home, write blogs, read Scripture...or just be still. And trust me a technology detox is not easy.
While I am not opposed to fasting, in fact it is a spiritual discipline that is quickly overshadowed and pushed aside in practice, I do believe we have taken this season of Lent and misconstrued it to be something it is not. Lent is not a time to deprive our self for the sake of our self. Lent is not a time to lose a few pounds, drink a little less, put our sugar rush away, exercise a little more; no! Lent is a time, a season, of repentance. A time where we do these things, where we give these things not for our gain but to draw closer to the Lord by seeing our sin, repenting of our sin, and feeling the full freedom of forgiveness from our sin. Is Lent not the time leading to the glorious entrance of our King into the city, to the night He was betrayed, to His own best friend denying Him three times, to His brutal beating, to His body hung on a tree, to His death, and to His glorious resurrection? Is Lent not the time where we fast in order to meditate on what the cross truly means? Do we not break Lent with the Gospel? Our sins, ALL of our sins, every sin we have committed and will commit, every sin that has kept us from freedom and satan will use to fight against us in our freedom, every sin that has brought shame and guilt, EVERY SIN was hung on a tree, was pronounced dead and is no more! And we now have the right, the privilege to go straight to the Father Himself through the Resurrected Body of the Son by the initiating of the Holy Spirit for forgiveness and freedom from sin! We no longer need to sacrifice because we have the Ultimate Sacrifice! We fast not because we want something but because we have already been given! We fast not because we realize the weight of our sin but the freedom from our sin! We fast because we are grieved at the death of our Saviour because of our sins but we are joyous in the Resurrection of His body! If our motive for Lent is purely selfish, then let us all have a heart check, there is still time to truly recognize this season for the purpose it was created to serve. Let us start our journey to the cross with a true understanding of Lent. Let us see our sins not as burdens failures guilt and shame but as redeemed and forgiven. Lead us to the cross, lead us to truly understanding once and for all this season of repentance and the joy that comes in the morning. Great is Your Faithfulness in forgiving through grace and mercy!
While I am not opposed to fasting, in fact it is a spiritual discipline that is quickly overshadowed and pushed aside in practice, I do believe we have taken this season of Lent and misconstrued it to be something it is not. Lent is not a time to deprive our self for the sake of our self. Lent is not a time to lose a few pounds, drink a little less, put our sugar rush away, exercise a little more; no! Lent is a time, a season, of repentance. A time where we do these things, where we give these things not for our gain but to draw closer to the Lord by seeing our sin, repenting of our sin, and feeling the full freedom of forgiveness from our sin. Is Lent not the time leading to the glorious entrance of our King into the city, to the night He was betrayed, to His own best friend denying Him three times, to His brutal beating, to His body hung on a tree, to His death, and to His glorious resurrection? Is Lent not the time where we fast in order to meditate on what the cross truly means? Do we not break Lent with the Gospel? Our sins, ALL of our sins, every sin we have committed and will commit, every sin that has kept us from freedom and satan will use to fight against us in our freedom, every sin that has brought shame and guilt, EVERY SIN was hung on a tree, was pronounced dead and is no more! And we now have the right, the privilege to go straight to the Father Himself through the Resurrected Body of the Son by the initiating of the Holy Spirit for forgiveness and freedom from sin! We no longer need to sacrifice because we have the Ultimate Sacrifice! We fast not because we want something but because we have already been given! We fast not because we realize the weight of our sin but the freedom from our sin! We fast because we are grieved at the death of our Saviour because of our sins but we are joyous in the Resurrection of His body! If our motive for Lent is purely selfish, then let us all have a heart check, there is still time to truly recognize this season for the purpose it was created to serve. Let us start our journey to the cross with a true understanding of Lent. Let us see our sins not as burdens failures guilt and shame but as redeemed and forgiven. Lead us to the cross, lead us to truly understanding once and for all this season of repentance and the joy that comes in the morning. Great is Your Faithfulness in forgiving through grace and mercy!
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