Giving Lent A Second Chance
This month’s “Can I Be Candid?” is written by Leslie Eichhorn, writer for NancyHicksLive.
“Mom, what’s Lent? What does it have to do with Easter? Why don’t we do Lent?”
I knew the answer. I just didn’t want to answer. My child didn’t know my relationship with Lent was complicated.
Look up the word “Lent” in the Bible - you won’t find it. There’s nothing about observing it or celebrating it.
While God gave us very specific, sacred days to observe together, early Christians also set aside periods of reflection and preparation. Lent was originally a time of fasting, adopted by the Church about 300 years after Jesus’ death during the First Council of Nicaea. Over the centuries, many denominations have molded and shaped Lent according to their own tradition.
Growing up, everyone in my church participated in Lent because it was tradition. I didn’t understand the “why” behind it. And as kids sometimes do, I intentionally found a way around the harder aspects of Lent. No meat on Fridays? Yay, pizza for dinner! I’ll happily give up chocolate - I have an entire Easter basket waiting for me.
I completely missed the point.
After much prayer and thought about my child’s question, I decided to give Lent a second chance. I want Lent to be a time of intentional focus and change, not because I have to - because I want to.
Lent is a time of redirecting and refocusing our hearts and minds on Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection. Many faith traditions observe Lent for 40 days, echoing the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert after he was baptized (Matthew 4:1-11 & Luke 4:1-13).
Refocusing my heart is a big reason why I want Lent to be a daily practice leading up to Easter. So often, I have good intentions to spend time with God…but…
Then I get a text.
The doorbell rings and the dog barks.
My husband has a distracting Zoom call in the next room.
The school calls. One of my kids is sick.
Life can feel like one giant distraction. Part of the intention of Lent is to reduce these distractions through sacrifice, by giving something up, so that we get more of what we really need - God.
Many people fast (skipping a meal(s), snack or after-dinner treat) or abstain (stop a bad habit or watching a certain TV show). These things we give up aren’t necessarily bad, but we’ll only know how much we rely on them by setting them aside for a time. This looks different for everyone.
When you feel tempted to turn on your show or you get a hunger pang, that’s your cue to turn your attention to God. Read Scripture, even one verse. Tell God you’re aware of His Presence. Pray, even if it’s just a sentence or a couple of minutes. Over time, it may feel easier. Maybe not. But engage in this deeply needed spiritual refocus.
Lent gives us a chance to remember what converges at the cross: death and life. This is God’s beautiful, unexplainable mystery. We die to ourselves to find life in Jesus.
I’m still debating what I’m fasting from or giving up for Lent. But whatever I choose, I’m not looking for a way out of it. I’m looking forward to walking through it…with Jesus.
Leslie Eichhorn is a writer at NancyHicksLive. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a nose in her book or spending time outside with her family. Leslie has been married for 16 years and is mom/referee to three kids and one loveable mutt. She can be reached at leslie@nancyhickslive.com.