- So glad to be Baptist (followed by something they didn't have to give up that others in the Christian world would be for Lent)
- I just don't understand why you give something up for 40 days. If it is bad, you should just give it up forever.
There were a few others along the lines of how I am giving up more than others that just smacked of pride and reminded me of my Orthodox friend who told me that it is possible that your priest may tell you to skip the whole fasting thing altogether for various reasons, including pride.
But I wanted to respond with a few thoughts on why Lenten observation has become so important to me over the last decade. So my response to type no. 1 is: Why does it give you joy to be alienated from more than 2000 years of Christian practice? And if your faith doesn't require anything of you, what value does it hold? Haven't you ever given up anything to gain something else? Which is what any economic transaction is in the first place. I'll give you this because I need that. Many of us find that we gain so much by giving up something that even in the process of giving it up, begins to lose its value, its hold on ourselves. Which is so much of the point. Is it "for me to live is Christ..." or for me to live is chocolate? The giving up gives us a chance to put aside all those things that are good things but need to shrink in our lives so Christ can grow in us. Which leads me to...
No. 2: The Apostle Paul and the writer of Hebrews likened the Christian life to a race. Everyone knows that an athlete has to put themselves through some exhaustive physical training to prepare for a race, or any athletic event. However, one cannot continuously trained. You have to break, to eat, to sleep, to rest. Likewise Lent is an intense training time in the life of the Christian. By doing what can not be done on a daily basis year round, the Lenten participant is picking up some extra weights, stretching some muscles, and otherwise, engaging in strenuous exercise in order to stay fit for the race. But at some point, a rest is beneficial, necessary, and a time of joy. And a rest is a reminder that really, when it gets down to it, our salvation is a gift, a grace bestowed upon us by the gift of Calvary. But Lent is a reminder that He told us that to follow Him we would have to deny ourselves and take up our cross (Matthew 16:24). Which actually sounds a whole lot like Lent. They work best, I've found, together.
As I've grown in Lenten observation, I've found that Lent is a time when I most need to do something. This year it is pray more, in very specific ways and for very specific amounts of time. But for the last several years I've discovered that there is usually something (or some things) that gets in the way of keeping that commitment. This year it was blowing way too much time on Facebook. It became apparent that if I was going to be able to pray more, I needed to get rid of something that while not bad, has turned into a bit of a time waster for me.
Ultimately Lent is about LOVE. Because I love my spouse and children, I occasionally make some sacrifices for them. If I didn't, they wouldn't know if my love was real. I wouldn't know if my love was real. And usually, love without sacrifice (if it was ever really love) dies. But the funny thing about sacrificial love....It is usually the beginning of JOY.
Which is why I love Lent. Much as it scares me, overwhelms me, and humbles me.
2 comments:
Regarding Lent being an intense training period, Darren and I were discussing our Lent, and also things in our lives that we'd let go slack. We agreed that we were feeling flabby, lazy, and apathetic (spiritually speaking). It was time for Lent, time for tightening up and refocusing. I am so grateful that it comes around every year, because we need it again every year.
-- SJ
I was also amused by the juxtaposition of anti-Lent posts and, as it happened, pro-extreme fitness posts. In modern evangelicalism, it's OK to limit yourself for the sake of your looks, but not for your soul's growth. (I'm tempted to post that on Facebook, actually--or maybe not.)
I'm still learning about Lent, but something I've realized is that the way I grew up many disciplines were either unheard-of OR a completely solitary endeavor. And if you did do them, alone with the aid of whatever super-spiritual book you were reading, it was pretty hard NOT to feel super-spiritual doing them. Discipline as a community endeavor is a new idea, and I'm realizing it was something that I was missing.
Post a Comment