It’s a common practice to give something up during Lent. Most people use this as an opportunity to purge unnecessary relational roadblocks, in hopes that it will foster spiritual closeness with God during the Easter Season. We do this to humble ourselves as we prepare to open our hearts to receive the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross. It is a set time of commitment where we truly discover what we have at the center of our lives. People may choose to give up guilty pleasures like chocolate or Netflix. Others may decide to give up less tangible things like selfishness or pride. However, a sacrifice does not have to be deprivation. I believe that anything that pushes us out of our comfort zone, and into the arms of God is a worthy Lenten promise. Instead I challenge you to add these things to your life. Hopefully, over time you find that your heart and mind open as we draw closer to Easter Sunday. Since there are six weeks of lent, here are six things you can add to your life, one week at a time:
1. Forgiveness:
It is just as much for others as it is for you. When we choose to withhold forgiveness, we tell God we do not trust him to grant justice. We try and take control and ultimately hold onto feelings of anger. Letting go keeps our focus on building our own relationship with God, knowing that we, too, are flawed and in need of grace. Therefore, the same can also be said about forgiving ourselves. God does not hold our shortcomings against us, and we are called to do the same.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
2. Connection:
This is more than wifi. Connect with your family members and friends. Connect with your church community. Connect with His word. Make your time meaningful and intentional. Put down the distractions and take the time to really be present with those close to you.
Ephesians 4:16 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
3. Silence:
It is in the silences that God chooses to reveal Himself to you. We are so conditioned to avoid the awkward silences. Be content to sit and be still.
Exodus 14:14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.
4. Stability:
Chaos leaves room for the devil to work himself into our lives. We lack the ability to make time for ourselves and for God. We forget self-care. We become stressed and easily angered. By keeping a schedule and maintaining organization, we make time for Him to do His own work in our lives.
1 Corinthians 14:40 But all things should be done decently and in order.”
5. Service:
Serve with gratitude as the Lord has commanded. Whether it be your money, time, or attention, be willing to open yourself to provide for the needs of others before your own. When you help others, you may find God blesses you in unexpected ways.
Acts 20:35 “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Luke 6:23 "Give and you shall receive."
6. Patience:
A valuable fruit of the Holy Spirit, it is the calm amidst the storm and the peace that sets us free. Knowing that our life is in God’s hands and having the ability to wait for His timing is the best gift that we can give ourselves. When we try and take our lives into our own hands, we often veer from the way of the Lord.
Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
"I want to know Christ, yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participate in his sufferings, becoming like him in death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11
