The Season of Lent begins tomorrow. For me personally, it is always one of the most challenging and rewarding times of the Christian year. We are reminded of our need of Christ and the depth of our sin. We are also reminded of the hope that comes from our faith in Christ. Those are the rewards and they have often come in various shapes of growth over the years.
The challenge comes in fasting and giving up something in order to grow in Christ. Like you, I struggle with giving something up in my life because it becomes too much of a dependency. I think I need those things in order to be who I am as a person and a Christian. Of course, I know I don’t, but the mind and heart never seem to agree on the issue.
This year, I am, as I have tried to do in the past, taking on something as well as giving something up. What I am giving up is isolation. Now, this might seem unusual, but is something that is needed right now. Because my office is in my house, it is easy for me to stay inside and only get out when I need to. It makes the ministry more of a lonely experience than it already is. I am committing myself to getting out each day, and not just for regular ministry duties. My hope is that this will bring some energy to my life that, as an extrovert, I know is missing right now. I also hope it will get me more in connection with the people in my area.
I am also going to take on some habits that I have ignored over the years. I have fought hard to find time to write, both personally and professionally, and I am committing myself to that throughout Lent. I am going to write something each day, whether it is a blog post, an article, a letter, or a note. One of my biggest gifts is communication and it often gets put aside, at times, because of things that need to be done. I hope that this season, through the Holy Spirit’s guiding, will show me otherwise.
So, what about you? What are you giving up this Lent and, perhaps, what are you taking on?
