Lent and Fasting

So, I have been trying to decide what to do for Lent. Given that this is only the second time in my life that I've ever observed it, I am struggling (so much so that I've missed the first few days!).

First, let me make it abundantly clear that the discipline of fasting has nothing to do with salvation because one can not earn a gift (Eph 2:8-9). It has everything to do with sanctification, being set apart for holiness and becoming more like Christ (Jn 17:17, Rom 6:22-23, 1 Thes 4:3). And this is something that believers should pursue on a regular basis. However, I recognize that the Easter season is special, for my hope lies in His Resurrection (1 Pet 1:3-5)!

Now, let me back up. I was raised in a Christian home, but not in a liturgical tradition. So we never observed Lent at our house. Now when Easter came around, we were all about Resurrection Day. And of course, we went all out (in the spiritual and secular sense).

It wasn't until college that I even really understood what Lent was (this goes for Advent too), because I had friends who observed it. Then when we moved back to the New Orleans area and experienced Mardi Gras, my interest was peaked. I still haven't wrapped my head around the idea that people live like hell for a few weeks just because they will give something up for 40 days. God's grace is not license to sin (Romans 6). But I digress.

So last year we observed Lent. We fasted from TV. That was hard though I'm not convinced that it helped me to fellowship in his sufferings (Phil. 3:10), or make me more like Him (Rom 12:2). It did give us more time together as a family and held me accountable for actually parenting my children instead of letting the TV babysit them (even though we don't watch a lot of TV in this house). And though there were more fights, my kids learned to play together in a way that they had never done before. So all those things were good. But did I identify more with Christ because of it? Hmmmm, I'm not sure.

If the point of Lent is to identify more with Christ, how does giving up chocolate (or some other similar item) accomplish that? Don't get me wrong, I love me some chocolate. It's really yummy, but it's loss doesn't make me more like Christ. If I really want to identify more with Him, I should do a water fast for forty days like He did in the wilderness. That would definitely cause me to rely on Him for strength!

I guess it annoys me a bit when people give things up that aren't really a sacrifice. Then I quickly point the finger back on myself (under conviction by the Holy Spirit), and try to figure out what would really be a sacrifice for me. Maybe I should give up blogging for Lent! Ha ha!

Back to the point... Maybe I should give up negative self-talk and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor 10:5) and replace those thoughts with JOY (Jas 1:2)! Maybe I should really get serious about losing baby weight (even though my baby is two years old) so that I can truly present my body as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1), treat it as the temple of the Holy Spirit and glorify God with my body (I Cor 6:19-20). Maybe I should work on the fruit of the Spirit being more evident in my life (Gal 5:22-23). Maybe I should memorize Scripture (Ps 119:11). Maybe I should introduce my children to the discipline of a daily devotion (Deut 6:4-9). These things make me more like Christ.

Maybe the point of Lent isn't always about giving something up. Maybe it's about taking something on. I was recently pointed to Isaiah 58. In this passage God defines a true fast. He summarizes it in verses 6 and 7: "Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"

Let us think on such things! Let us consider how we can identify with Christ more!

In the meantime I'll be praying and trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do. I think I'll revisit that list above.

For more ideas, check out these blogs: Faydra and Rob.