Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent: a day where you receive ashes in the form of a cross on your forehead, as a reminder of one’s mortality. “From dust you were created, and to dust you shall return,” is spoken to you when you receive the ashes. The Lenten season then continues for 40 days, meant to mirror Jesus fasting for 40 days in the desert, and culminates with Good Friday, the day Jesus died on the cross, and Easter, the day of Christ’s resurrection.
There are three practices that one should participate in when observing Lent:
- Fasting
- Prayer
- Almsgiving
Fasting
Fasting is the practice that is most associated with Lent, and seems to have fallen by the wayside in Christian circles more so than the other two. However, if done correctly, fasting can prove to be a powerful time of renewal with God.
I found one description of fasting that really summed it up better than I ever could:
“Fasting is a way of denying ourselves the excesses of life so that we might be more attuned to the Lord’s voice. It is also a way of disciplining yourself, strengthening your “spiritual muscles” so to speak, so that when temptations arise in life, you are already used to saying “no” to your desires. And finally, fasting is also a way of participating, in a small way, in the sufferings of Christ and can be particularly powerful when accompanied by prayer and confession.”
Crosswalk.com
Fasting can involve food, of course. Traditionally, the Jews and Christians throughout the Bible fasted by not eating, or restricting what they ate. However, it doesn’t necessarily need to relate to your eating. You can also fast behaviors and habits. Sometimes, it may be more spiritually enlightening for you to fast a habit instead of a food. If you struggle with gossip, stop gossiping. Or if you suffer from laziness or oversleeping, wake up earlier than you need to, and commit to being more productive in those extra hours.
Prayer
Prayer is pretty straightforward. As a Christian, prayer should be a regular thing, but with our busy lifestyles, it often gets swept under the rug. The Lenten season is a time where we can really dig into our prayer life again, and devote more of our energy and focus to God. Prayer allows for the opportunity to grow in our relationship with God, and to deepen our commitment into a way of living.
Almsgiving
The final practice, almsgiving, is something that I never knew about in relation to Lent until I began researching it. Simply put, almsgiving is charitable giving. Almsgiving gives us the opportunity to become aware of the suffering of others, along with that of Jesus Christ. You can practice through giving of financial means, donating goods, or devoting your time to people in need.
In summary, if you wish to participate fully in Lent, you should include fasting, praying, and almsgiving into your practice. Each is significant in its own way, but when you combine them, you are able to enhance each one and attain a stronger, more meaningful understanding of God and Christ’s sacrifice.
Should you participate in Lent?
Within the Catholic church, it is almost a given that you observe Lent. It’s just one of those things that you do, like weekly confession. Lent is not necessarily observed in other denominations of Christianity. In the Lutheran church—and really any church that follows a liturgical calendar—people tend to practice Lent more. But recently, other denominations have begun to talk more about Lent, and some of these Christians are now choosing to participate. These denominations don’t collectively observe Lent as a congregation, so whether or not one participates is a personal choice.
To be clear, observing Lent is not a practice that Jesus commands us to commit. Communion and baptism are the only two holy sacraments that we are commanded to uphold as Christians. It is not required that Christians partake in Lent. However, that being said, I think it is a great spiritual practice and method to grow closer to God. But ultimately it’s not required. It’s merely a personal decision.
Why I Participate in Lent
Growing up, we never observed Lent in my family. My mom was raised Catholic, so she was exposed to it. However, even after leaving the Catholic church, she still personally struggles with participating in Lent, as it reminds her of the hypocrisy and perfunctory devotion to God in her church growing up. Despite this, she is fully supportive of my choice to observe Lent, and thinks it is a wonderful spiritual practice, when done with the correct mindset and motives.
I didn’t come to understand Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Lent, and each of their purposes until my junior year of college. My first year observing it was my senior year.
In the past, I had struggled with facing the truth regarding Good Friday and Easter, and directly confronting Christ’s sacrifice. Not that I didn’t believe it or accept it. But death…eternity…mortality…they were always hard pills for me to swallow. It made me feel uneasy, and often induced panic attacks if I wasn’t careful with my thoughts.
I attributed this to not having as strong of a relationship with God as I should’ve had, approaching Easter with the wrong mindset, and being sinful in nature. At that time, I didn’t pray and seek God’s healing as much as I should’ve. I had also been resistant to confronting not only my mortality, but Christ’s as well. Moreover, I am sinful in nature, and that sin overrides all the good things God has given me.
I practice Lent because I want to:
- Strengthen my relationship with God, and learn to seek Him in all things
- Learn how to embrace my mortality, and Christ’s ultimate sacrifice—God’s greatest gift to us
- Reflect on my sin and find ways to improve my behaviors and outlooks so that they may reflect God’s glory rather than my sin
What have I done before for Lent?
This year is not my first time observing Lent, although I’ll admit that some seasons have had more success than others.
My first attempt was in 2015, and I failed miserably. I got a little carried away with my fasting, and ultimately was unable to sustain it. I decided to wake up much earlier than usual. Waking up earlier is fine, and I will be attempting it another season, I’m sure. But when you don’t typically wake up until 9 or 10am and then force yourself to rise at 5am…well, it’s not exactly set up for success.
My first successful season was in 2017. For my fast, I gave up complaining. I had an ungrateful heart at the time and wasn’t able to see God’s blessings in my life. So complaining was not allowed. Instead, as part of my prayer, I journaled all the things I was grateful for throughout the day. The transformation was incredible. To this day, I don’t complain nearly as much as I used to, and I’m able to see God’s blessings so much more clearly—even in times of hardship.
And last year, instead of giving up a behavior, I added a new one. I incorporated daily Bible reading to my routine. I didn’t read God’s Word much at all, and I wanted to be closer to God through His Word. This is how God talks to us, after all. Guess who’s still doing a daily devotion? This girl.
Depending on what you choose to work on, the Lenten season can truly change your mind, heart, spirit, and lifestyle. If it’s truly something that will bring you closer to God, God will bless your work and transform you through the Holy Spirit.
What am I doing this year?
For my fast, I am giving up leisure reading. No fan fiction (my guilty pleasure) or any other fiction that I read as an escape. Recently, God has been pointing out that my leisure reading is becoming a bit of an idol, which is a big no-no. Not that I read a lot every day, but it is a clear form of escapism right now. God has made it clear that I need to take a break from it and focus on Him again. Non-fiction books that serve my purpose here at Shukugawa Christian Center are allowed, but not books that serve only me.
Regarding prayer, I’m going to add an extra prayer time into my day, probably during my lunch hour. I pray every day, but I’ll admit that some days are not as meaningful or heartfelt as other days. Or I’m distracted by the other things I’m doing at the same time. It’s not a devoted prayer time with God. So I’m going to very intentionally separate myself from my day to spend time with just God.
I won’t give you details about how I will do almsgiving this year. Christ warns us against serving where others’ eyes may see and serving for the sake of others’ approval. Just read Matthew 6. Telling you how I am giving would completely defeat the purpose.
What are your thoughts on Lent? Was it something you already knew about and practiced, or is all this new to you?
Disclaimer: This post on Lent is from a previous post I wrote on my personal blog several years ago. It has been updated to include my Lent plans for this coming season.