Lent is coming up quickly. It’s so easy to “give up chocolate” or take the cursory but meaningless, “I’ll be nicer”, approach to Lent (now that “Don’t just give up chocolate for Lent” has become popularized). Maybe our goal is to “Read the Bible more” or “Pray 10 minutes in the morning”. Maybe we gave something up because it’s “what people do”. Maybe you are trying to be a hero and have decided to do every possible austerity, or every single thing we think of as it comes up. I hate to break it to you but, while these resolutions (mostly, probably) come from good intentions, they are likely to leave you disappointed with your Lenten experience.
Why?
All of the above goals are typically chosen without understanding or purpose.
Purpose gives us motivation and direction. Direction gives us a way to see actual progress along the way. Seeing success in our purpose gives us motivation to continue. This is why it is so important to know why we live Lent and choose our goals accordingly.
The purpose of Lent is to seek God. It is to remind us where our priorities lie and to help us bring them back to where they should be.
If we imagine Lent just as the “hard” season where we aren’t “allowed” to have fun, or where we “have to” do even more of the Catholic unpleasantries (are the words “prayer, fasting, and almsgiving” ringing any bells?) in order to “be a good Catholic”, we are completely missing the boat.
Lent is a time to remind ourselves that we are not of this world and that our longing is not for this life, but for Him.
It is a time to tap into our discomforts and realize that they point us to our desire for perfection, namely, our deep and innate desire for Him. This is why putting God first actually has the ability to bring us great peace and joy, because it fills this fundamental human longing. Lent is an opportunity to revisit the very first Commandment and ask ourselves if we really do love God more than anything else.
In light of this:
1 – If we truly put God first, then He should be over our food.
Hence, why fasting has traditionally always been a major part of the Lenten observance. Not because chocolate is bad, but in order to say, “God, I love you more than chocolate”. Therefore, we use this Lenten time to replace my desire for food with the pursuit of God.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. – John 6:35
- For a wonderful resource on true fasting, check out the book Sugar Fast by Wendy Speake.
2 – If we truly put God first, then we need to place Him above our sleep.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28 [Emphasis added]
If He is our rest then we do not need to prioritize what we consider “rest”, but rather use that time to pursue Him. Hence, why one might stop hitting the snooze button for Lent, or stop staying up past a certain hour, in order to get up on time – for example.
3 – If we truly put God first, then He needs to come before our “self-care”.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil. – Matthew 6:25-34
4 – If we truly put God first, He needs to come before our finances.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, […] But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, […] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. […] “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” – Matthew 6:19-24
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. – Proverbs 3:9-10
I do not worry about $$, I just do my duty well, justly, and with my best effort, and know that God will provide. I give up spending on order to tithe and practice generosity to show my trust in the providence of God.
Give us this day our daily bread… – Matthew 6:11
In You, Oh Lord, I place my trust. – Psalm 25:1, Psalm 31:1, Psalm 30:15 (DRA), etc…
5 – If we truly put God first, then He should be above our social life (friends and family time)
Or, at the VERY least we should ensure that He is the center of those relationships. Do some relationships need to be reevaluated this Lent?
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. – Luke 14:26
6 – If we truly put God first, He needs to come before our entertainment.
He IS the one our souls long for (Psalm 42:1, Psalm 84:2, Psalm 143:6, etc) so why are we drowning Him out by trying to fill ourselves with so much noise and distraction?
The purpose of Lent is to seek God again, to remind ourselves that He is greater than all our cares and that He is capable of great provision.
It is like a series of small trust exercises to help us grow in our confidence in Him. This Season helps us to approach this somewhat daunting task knowing that we are not alone, that we are together with others who come alongside you, being brave and generous and discovering the awesome fidelity of God.
Suggested Supplemental Article: The Definitive Guide to Lent
So, what are you doing for Lent!?!?
Let us encourage each other in steadfast courage and generosity that we may be as that iron that sharpens iron and live together in the joy of Christian unity.
