Hi friend,
Lent is a somber time of reflection leading up to the celebration of Easter. If you were raised in the Church, you may be familiar with the idea of making a sacrifice during Lent. There are many ways to observe a holy Lent as a time to grow closer to the Lord and prepare for Jesus’ resurrection.
The season of Lent is marked by the 40 days before Easter, not including Sundays.This period is modeled after when Jesus spent 40 days in the desert and faced temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). Like Jesus, we use this time to focus on growing closer to the Lord and facing the temptations that may be getting in the way of our relationship with God.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. In Catholic churches and many Protestant churches, parishioners go to a church service to receive ashes in the shape of a cross on their foreheads. The ashes are from blessed burnt palms used during Palm Sunday of the previous year. The priest or pastor will say, “Remember, you are from dust and to dust you shall return” when he or she marks your forehead with the ashes.
On Ash Wednesday, we are reminded that we are mortal and our bodies and its desires are part of this world. Through denying our body temptations, we remind ourselves that our real desires cannot be satisfied by this world. We remove the distractions of this life during Lent to grow closer to our Creator.
Lent has begun on Ash Wednesday and we enter a time of somber reflection until Easter. However, we remember that there is always hope which is reflected in the Sundays throughout Lent. Every Sunday represents a mini-Easter, where we embrace the hope that Jesus is coming and may break from our sacrifices made throughout the rest of Lent.
What are some ways you can use Lent to strengthen your relationship with God?
1. Start by reflecting on what you think may be stopping you from growing closer to God.
What are some things you could do to invite God into your life in this season? Example: I love doing Bible studies and find them to be a great tool for me to talk to God and experience His presence in my life. Even though I know I will feel closer to God after doing a Bible study, I often do not make the time to sit with the Lord and read His word. I might use Lent as a season to spend time to prioritize spending time with the Lord daily.
2. Spend time in the Bible this Lent. Maybe you’ve always wanted to read through the Gospels or maybe you’ve never read the Bible. If you are interested in learning more through God’s Word, pick a devotional to read every day through Lent. Last year I used The Promise of Lent devotional by Chris Tiegreen. Jordan Lee Dooley has a free online 40 day guide to reading through the Gospels that would be perfect for this season. There are so many options for how you can read more of the Bible at your own pace through Lent. Read this post on how to study the Bible for some ideas!
3. Talk to God! Spend more time in conversation with your Creator this Lent. Prayer is a great way to learn more about God right from the source. Our relationship with the Lord is like any relationship: communication is key. God wants to be part of all that we do, so why not include Him in all of our decisions and thoughts this Lent?
Maybe try to start addressing Him as a friend, if that feels comfortable. Or, pray on the commute to work or in between classes. Why not commit to praying with someone regularly? Maybe pray for a special intention throughout Lent and give the Lord time to answer this prayer and deepen your understanding. Another idea is to try different prayer traditions like praying the rosary, Novenas, or walking a prayer labyrinth or using a finger labyrinth.
4. Spend some time doing acts of service! This is a great season to take the focus off of ourselves and serve those around us. Here are some ideas to get you thinking:
Send letters and thank you notes to people in your life who deserve recognition. Handwritten notes are so special!
Volunteer weekly in your community.
Have a special skill? Use it! If you’re great at knitting, make mittens, hats and scarves for a homeless shelter. If you’re great at cooking, deliver a meal to a friend or family member who could use a night off. Maybe even offer some of your time to do chores for a busy neighbor (i.e. mow their lawn, walk their dogs, babysit for free, etc).
Pay for the person behind you in the drive-thru.
Be willing to help where it is needed and do those extra jobs no one wants to stick around to do (i.e. clean up after church coffee hour).
5. Rethink the typical Lent fast. It is common to give up something during this season. This is a great exercise, but it is often done without intention. For example, giving up coffee is great, but not if it makes you and everyone around you miserable. If skipping your morning coffee leads to you lean on God for energy and patience in the morning, then that is a great way to grow closer to the Lord! What can be tricky with Lent sacrifices is when it is done without intention.
The goal is to strengthen your relationship with God and lean on Him, not to lose weight by giving up sweets, or making our eating habits complicated for those around us. What might be getting in the way of your relationship with the Lord? How can you be more intentional with that during Lent?
6. Be intentional about keeping the Sabbath! Take some time on Sundays or another day to rest. The Lord calls us to rest because we aren’t meant to always be busy. It can be hard to hear the Lord and rest in Him when we don’t take the time.
Here are some ideas to help you make space to rest this Lent:
Plan ahead so you don’t have to do chores on your day of rest. Maybe that means doing all the cleaning earlier in the week, or finishing your homework before Sunday night so you can enter the week less stressed.
Get coffee with a friend or call a family member. I feel recharged when I am grounded in who I am and sometimes a call from a from friend or family is the perfect reminder.
Take a day off social media or from keeping up with news. It is such a blessing to have information readily available, but sometimes it can be overwhelming. Take time to be present and catch up on the news of those around you.
Wake up a few minutes early to sit quietly and drink coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Take some time to take a few deep breaths and prepare yourself for the day. Maybe this time includes prayer or maybe it is just a great way to center yourself before you begin your day.
Lent is a special time to grow closer to the Lord and include Him in more of our lives. This season can be observed however it feels best to you. Just picking one simple thing to do throughout the 40 days is a great way to be intentional during this season. If you have a hard time, give yourself the same forgiveness Christ shows us. We can rejoice even in this somber time and in our slip-ups because of the goodness of Jesus!
What have you done before to observe a holy Lent? How can you be intentional about remembering the Lord’s sacrifice this Lent?
Peace and blessings,
Shaina
