When I say “Lent is my favorite season” or “I’m so excited for Lent to start!” people look at me like I’m crazy. Am I crazy? Maybe a little masochistic (in the eyes of the world)? Or is there just a secret that most of the world has forgotten?
3 Reasons why Lent is my Favorite Liturgical Season
Number One – Solemnity and Reverence
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom – Proverbs 9:10
In Lent we begin to get back to the recognition of God as GOD – a God that is all powerful, and all deserving of our utmost regard and respect. Not that we cannot do this outside of Lent, but within this season we do is as a whole with all Christians everywhere, coming back to the realization of who God is to us and His role in our lives. It encourages us to regain some of the Old Testament recognition of God’s intensity and our littleness. We get to contemplate Him as the God who created the entre perfection of the universe with a thought and who holds us in existence with the same love that creates the Trinity. It’s an opportunity to recognize how we treat deity in our daily lives and recognize if He has been given His rightful place, or if His throne has been usurped by anything less worthy.
Oh my God, you are my God whom I seek – Psalm 63:1
Number Two – An invitation to Question Meaning and Purpose
Though I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:2
Why do we do what we do? What is Lent all about anyway? Why do sacrifices matter? Why do I make the resolutions I make (as opposed to other ones)?
Purpose = Motivation = Perseverance
No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for ones friends. – John 15:13
Why do it if its pointless? And if it has purpose, then why not pursue it with everything I am?
Read Also:
- How to Live Lent on Purpose – Rediscovering the Purpose of Lent
- Why does God allow us to Fail? (and How to Leverage Failure)
- When Goals Steal Your Peace
Number Three – An Invitation to Intimacy, Quiet, and Solitude with the Lord
Be still and know that I am God – Psalm 46:10
Lent is my 40 days in the desert, just Him and me. It is the time when I strip away everything else to rediscover the longing of my soul for reflection and solitude (even if that solitude is only internal – you don’t get much actual solitude in a house with 6 homeschooling kids under 10). It is my chance to attune my heart to His whisperings and prioritize my prayer over everything else. It’s a chance to recognize that prayer isn’t about words but about relationship. Just being can be a prayer. When I am tired, He becomes my rest. When I am hungry, He desires to be my food. This season is an opportunity to recognize that He fills not only my desires but also my “needs” and gives me an opportunity to truly experience the truth of the line, “When God is all you have, you realize that He is all you need“. And that knowledge, the one that comes from this experience of Lent, of a faithful God who exceeds every expectation, becomes the foundation of my trust for the rest of the year.
Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. – Matthew 4:4
Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. – John 4:14
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What is your favorite Liturgical Season and Why??
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