Why I gave up Lent... for Lent.

Why I gave up Lent for Lent. 

Okay I didn’t really give it up *for* Lent. 

The thing is: 

I was raised in an evangelical Christian home, that did not practice “Lent”. Although I had family members that certainly did, and so I was aware of it, and that they gave up specific things... but was never totally certain why. 

As a young adult, I went to a church that did practice Lent and the reasons they gave seemed, good, valid and poignant. I wanted to participate!! 

I wanted to:

 A. Show my Lord just how committed I am to Him. 

B. Understand on a a small scale what it means to “sacrifice”. If Jesus could give up all food & water for 40 days surely I could give up _________. (I usually picked something unhealthy for me, so that I could doubly justify its purpose.) I wanted to identify and deepen my connection to Him. 

C. I wanted to devote myself to prayer and scripture. And this was a tangible reminder ... Whenever I would have previously spent time thinking about or actually doing said *now forsaken* item, I would now spend that time in prayer and Bible reading. 

Man, How Holy was I gonna be? 

God would surely give me a gold star, and I would certainly be an esteemed martyr when people realized I had successfully given up: Social Media, Carbohydrates, Secular Music/magazines, television or whatever I felt led to. 

My understanding of this whole tradition and practice was that it was to have thoughtful and deliberate recognition of the time period where Jesus was being targeted and all that he endured leading up to the Cross. **To identify with Christ** and to be solemn and reverent in the face of His ultimate sacrifice on the cross. 

I did this for a few of years and each time, I tried and then subsequently failed. Time & time again. I would *slip* and have that carb, or watch that show... or login “just for a second”.  

I will say that more often than not I managed to remain true to my fasting and even managed to increase my Bible and Prayer time. 

But... every time I did slip, I was consumed with guilt. I believed I was letting God down. I wasn’t being a good enough “Christian”. Even when I managed to pick myself up and start again immediately, or the next day, for a brief moment I had shame and guilt. Additionally, during those tough *tempting* moments, if I had a win, and managed to successfully avert the temptation, I would feel a sting of resentment that I couldn’t have what I wanted. Which led to the cycle of guilt again. 

Therefore for *me*, My Lent time, ended up being riddled with Shame, Guilt, resentment and eventually in some cases, with me quitting all together and giving up! And then living with self condemnation and sadness. I felt pathetic, disappointed. Ashamed that I had let Jesus down. That I could not truly identify with Him. 

That’s when the Lord spoke to me. 

I realized... I didn’t get it at all! 

Jesus died precisely so we would NOT have to fast and sacrifice and give up anything to be closer to God. He died specifically so I could live in freedom *from* Guilt, Shame, resentment etc. 

The Lord was telling me to give up on Lent! 

He wanted me to know HIS Sacrifice was-and still is-ENOUGH. He gave up everything so we could live abundantly, blessed and enriching lives! 

We don’t have to be circumcised, we can eat the pork and we can dine with sinners. (Because hey, wherever you go... there you are, anyway!) 

I didn’t need a tradition to prompt me or motivate me to read my Bible and spend more time in prayer. And I didn’t need to have one more “works” for the enemy to distort and then use against me. 

For me, when I made this realization, a huge weight was lifted from me and I felt such release, such freedom!! 

I now spend most all my days (not just 40)  -not “giving up” anything but adding to my life, reaching out to strangers & those less fortunate. Reading my bible daily, listening  to worship music, praying and praising Jesus for HIS Sacrifice!! But it is all by CHOICE, without any hint of obligation or duty or pressure. 

Now LISTEN: I am not suggesting there is anything bad or wrong with Lent. I know many folks that continue to practice Lent. All, lovely, Godly, kind people, and it has been a helpful tool to grow their intimacy with Jesus. To identify with Him. They look forward to the sacrifice every year and hold it in high esteem, (I also hold them in high regard). And that is their choice. 

I’m just glad that we belong to a faith where it’s not “necessary” or “required”  for my salvation. And that we can reach out, deepen our relationship with Christ & identify with Him anytime of year. I know now,  Jesus is okay if I don’t practice Lent.