Lent

Author's note-The thoughts below come from a column I wrote  that first appeared in The Toccoa Record on March 5, 2014.  My appreciation is extended to Tom Law editor and publisher for permission to use in this space.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent in the life of the church. In the church I serve we began Lent with an Ash Wednesday service in which ashes were placed on the foreheads of our congregants with the solemn words of “Repent and believe the Gospel.”

  Lent is a season of forty days, excluding Sundays, leading up to Easter.  The number forty is significant in the Bible.  A period of forty days usually marks a time of testing and trial. In the story of Noah the scriptures say that it rained for forty days and forty nights causing the Great Flood that necessitated the building of the arc. The Hebrew people spent forty years in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land.  The prophet Elijah had his own forty day experience. The Gospels record that Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness in preparation for his ministry. 

Therefore it stands to reason that the early church would choose a period of forty days for a season in which new converts to the faith were instructed in the doctrines and principals of the faith in preparation for their baptism which was held on Easter.

Over time Lent became a season in which all members of the church were encouraged to examine themselves and their lives. This time of self-examination would then move one closer to God.  Granted, this is something that shouldn’t be restricted to one particular forty day period; it should be an ongoing process for all of us. However, the witness of scripture is that there are times that we can set aside and focus more clearly on our relationship with God.

In the Roman Catholic tradition as well as many mainline Protestant traditions it is customary for people to give up something they particularly enjoy during Lent.  Often times it is a particular food or beverage that one enjoys.  For a number of years I refrained from drinking anything but water during Lent.  Some persons will deprive themselves of a favorite activity during that time.  For example, I have a friend that traditionally gives up reading and posting on Facebook during the forty days of Lent.

Practices such as these are certainly to be commended and are no doubt a sign of devotion and faithfulness.  While these practices are usually abandoned at the close of Lent they do have a way of directing one’s focus more clearly on one’s relationship with God.

These things said, it would be wise for all of us, whether we are  a part of a denomination that observes Lent or not, to ask ourselves what practices in our lives we need to give up for good. In fact, I would offer this would be an excellent idea even for those who do not practice the Christian faith,   

What attitudes do we have in our lives that are unhealthy and prevent us from being the person that God intends for us to be?  The truth is that all of us have habits and attitudes that ensnare us and prevent us from becoming the person we are intended to be.

Maybe some of us are carrying a grudge which we need to release.  Maybe some of us have some unhealthy habit or practices in our lives that we need to cease not just for forty days but for good.  Maybe some of us have something in our past that has made us bitter that we need to release those feelings of bitterness.  Perhaps some of us need to adopt a new practice in our lives that will be an improvement.

            Each of us has to decide what that will be in our own life. Maybe the most important thing that any of us could do during this time of Lent is to look at ourselves and our lives and ask ourselves the difficult questions that need to be asked.