The Season of Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday. The season of Lent has begun. We, as Christians, are now walking with Christ on our forty day journey through the desert – from death into life, as we will joyfully celebrate on Easter Sunday.

This morning I began reading my daily Lenten devotional (wrong year, but it still works). The gospel reading was from Matthew (6:1-6, 16-18) and touched on a subject that, as we begin Lent and throughout, we must keep in mind: Jesus says, “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.” This message is not directed towards Lent alone, and can be applied to our daily lives as we are influenced by social media, news, friends, family, and even people we do not know. We are guilty of trying to impress others through these mediums which we believe will satisfy us and fill a void inside. Lent is not about getting attention from others in regards to your deeds or fasting. Rather, it is a very personal, private journey in which we must open ourselves up to becoming closer with God through our actions and prayers.

As R. Scott Hurd, the author of my devotional, further explains:

"Jesus knows that we often bring mixed motives to our religious undertakings. Some of our motivations – the ones inspired by God – are noble and good … But sometimes we have other motives that aren’t as laudable. We may do religious things because we hope others will see us as holy, or at least good, and perhaps admire us for the kind things we’ve done. When we act in this way, we’re seeking to glorify ourselves – and there’s the catch. As Christians, all we do, in one way or another, should be done for the glory of God. As we journey through the days of Lent, let’s ask the Lord to purify our motives, so that what we do is not driven by concern for public relations, but by a genuine sprit of praise and humble commitment to the Gospel."

I invite you to share some of your Lenten resolutions! Through sharing, we can help each other when we fall, pray for one another, and walk the journey together.

Here are some of my Lenten resolutions/practices:

+ reading and praying a daily Lenten devotional

+ praying each day for specific family members and causes

+ cutting back on sugar intake (it’s one of my biggest temptations)

+ taking time to be a better friend and get in touch with those I have been meaning to; better contact/communication and connection with those friends I do see more often; deepening friendships through meaningful discussion

+ making donations to the CRS Rice Bowl

+ attending a few Soup and Stations (of the Cross) events on Friday evenings; also, perhaps attending a Fish Fry

What are your Lenten resolutions this year?