Should YOU Observe Lent?

Few things bother me more in religion than people doing things without knowing why they are doing them. I feel that there are far too many people replacing a true, intimate relationship with God, through Christ, with participation in religious tradition. That’s not to say that there aren’t traditions that I believe in and actively engage in; there are quite a few. And one of those is Lent. But it didn’t exactly start that way….technically.

I was raised Pentecostal/Apostolic and I honestly don’t remember ever hearing of things like Ash Wednesday, Lent and Holy Saturday until later in life and even then my first exposure was simply seeing my classmates with ashes on their foreheads in college. It wasn’t until I was in my late 20s that I really knew what Lent was, but that’s also when I found out that I had actually been observing it most of my adult life (at least partially and sometimes for the whole 40 days) in the form of corporate fasts with the churches that I belonged to during those years.

So what is Lent?

The most basic way I can think to explain it is that Lent is a season to prepare for the observations/celebrations of Good Friday and Easter (Resurrection Sunday). For most Christian denominations, it starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Good Friday commemorates Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, through which we have been granted access to salvation and Easter celebrates His resurrection which gives us, the believer, hope of eternal life in Heaven. “…because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.” (2 Corinthians 4:14, NIV)

Lent is also a time of penitence – “regret for one’s wrongdoing or sinning; contrition; repentance.” So how do I apply that to my life? It is a time for me to honestly examine myself and my life in the mirror of God’s Word to see what areas don’t match the reflection. I then make the decision (commitment) to change those things that I have not submitted to the Lord…including those that I “submitted” in the past and “accidentally” took back. (Yes, this is something that I strive to do every single day, but a time set aside for repentance is never a bad thing in my book.)

I know that penitence and celebration don’t sound like they go together, but I believe that just depends on how you look at it. For me, it is a time to be reminded of what Christ did for me on the cross despite the fact that He knew that I would fail every day, and that alone is cause for daily celebration. But it doesn’t stop there; Lent is also an opportunity to dedicate myself to prayer and fasting, both of which are dear to me.

I love the way that Sarah Phillips explained fasting in an article on Crosswalk: “Fasting is a way of denying ourselves the excesses of life so that we might be more attuned to the Lord’s voice. It is also a way of disciplining yourself, strengthening your “spiritual muscles” so to speak, so that when temptations arise in life, you are already used to saying “no” to your desires. And finally, fasting is also a way of participating, in a small way, in the sufferings of Christ and can be particularly powerful when accompanied by prayer and confession.”

Should you “give something up” for Lent?

Well, I believe the answer to that lies in your intention. If you want to use this season of fasting to more fully rely on and commune with God, then by all means YES! But if you are giving something up simply for the sake of tradition, then that is legalism and not relationship. The choice is yours, of course, just remember to be honest with yourself and with the Lord because He really does know your heart.

With Love,

Crystal

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