Hello everyone! Since Ash Wednesday has just passed us I wanted to give you an idea of what I’ll be doing for the next 40 days, and ask you to join if you’d like. This year for Lent I am reading the book 40 Days of Decrease as a daily morning devotional. Here’s a little look into what I learned on day one.
I’ve grown up in a family that fasts something for Lent every year. As a kid I often decided to give up things like chocolate, soda, etc. Lent used to just be something that I would do every year since it was part of my religion, but it has grown into something so much more as I’ve gotten older. It’s a time to prepare for what’s to come…the death and resurrection of our Savior. It is NOT a time to work on improving ourselves and praising our success after a month. In 40 Days of Decrease it makes the bold statement, “Since commendation cannot be confused with preparation, I must ask: can such polite fasts alone truly prepare us to be awed by Christ’s resurrection?”
In Psalm 51 David talks about how God is more interested in what we are becoming than in what we are giving up. True faith is less about the sacrifice of stuff and more about the surrender of our souls. The main theme of the devotional is about thinning our lives in order to thicken our communication with God.
“He must become greater; I must become less.” -John 3:30
So I have a question for any of you choosing to fast something this Lent…Why? Why are you choosing to give something up?
I know in the past the answer for me was that I’m choosing now to be the time to give up something that I probably should be cut out of my life a while ago. Or maybe I wanted to take on a challenge because it was something to add to my resume as a “good Christian.” There was a statement in the devotional that really convicted me. It states, “Christian spirituality is not a life project for becoming a better person.” Wow.
So, if your reasons for fasting something this Lent resemble my past answer, I want you to think about it again. Lent should be about temporarily staying in a new place of life. “Staying” is about presence, not productivity. For Lent this year I’m going to forget about measuring success by how well I do. I’m going to quit judging success statistically by counting how many times I break my fast. Instead, I’m going to invest energy in seeking to remain present to the sacred history of Jesus’ walk to the cross.
Lent isn’t about a project, it’s about an experience.
All of my statements in this blog come directly from reflecting on the book 40 Days of Decrease. If you liked this blog I encourage you to check this book out! Please reach out to me if you want to join me in this devotional over the next 40 days or continue to hear my thoughts about it.
Fundraising update:
WOAH! I am currently just $397 away from reaching my FINAL GOAL! Fundraising has been quite a journey, and my final deadline is on March 31. If you would like to help me reach this goal you can click the “donate” link above. All donations are tax deductible!
