I have heard quite a few people say that they don’t need to give anything up for Lent and who have rather turned their noses up at those who do. Like with all religious disciplines, Lenten fasting can become either legalistic (that is you do it to get some approval from God) or just meaningless from a spiritual point of view (like a late in the year New Year’s resolution). Of course, as Christians we do not ‘need’ to fast in Lent but Jesus did say ‘when you fast…‘ not ‘if’.
Fasting can be different things, I quite like the idea of taking something up. For instance, if you don’t normally read your bible every day why not set yourself the goal to read it more in Lent? As well as giving up alcohol – to help me to focus more on God – I’m going to try and write some more letters (snail mail) this Lent to send to friends abroad or just people I haven’t seen for ages.
I love that we have the Church calendar which provides us with a framework for spiritual growth. In a world where we barely notice the seasons’ affects on our food supply, the church calendar gives structure to our days. By not doing anything different in Lent, you risk throwing the baby out with the bath water. This is a great opportunity to refresh yourself spiritually – and not on your own but with thousands of others all seeking to get closer to God over the next 6 weeks. This is an opportunity not to be missed! I woke up today with this song in my head. Appropriate for the beginning of Lent I thought!
Come on my soul
Come on my soul
Let down the walls
And sing my soul
Come on come on
come on come on
It’s time to look up
Come on come on
come on come on
It’s time to look up
Bryony Taylor 
This year I have decided that rather than give something up (which always feels a little selfish as I get to choose what it is and subconsciously choose something I CAN give up) I will try and improve some of my behaviours, as that will benefit others and myself. I am aiming to target impatience and anger, and I’ll also give up crisps and alcohol.
LikeLike
That sounds like a great idea. It’s good to challenge yourself on exactly why you’re giving something up. I like the old expression of Lent being the ‘spring time of the soul’ – a time when we give our spiritual lives a bit of a spring clean!
LikeLike