Did you know Lent comes from a word that means “Spring”? Seriously, I thought it had to do with sack cloth and ashes. The whole “giving it up for Lent” thing gives the word a bad connotation. But, the word simply refers to a season. The one that gives us Easter, in fact. My source for this wisdom is Father Jonathan Morris whom I know from Fox News. He has a great Lenten Challenge guide on his website if you are interested in “doing something for Lent” this year.
Being of a different faith expression than Father Jonathan, I’ve never participated in Lenten traditions. But something in my soul does yearn for an orderly, spiritual pursuit. Our church is reading the Bible together this year. Two chapters a day. Lots of our members are new converts who have never been churched before. So this is an amazing journey for them. It is pretty amazing for those of us who’ve read the Bible several times, too, because the Word is always fresh and because we are doing it together.
Last year, our daughter, Felicity, and her family did a Lenten fast that changed their entire lifestyle. It was a huge undertaking for a family with two carees four kids and a dog. But even their four-year-old caught the spirit of it.
I’m probably not going to eat beans for Lent like Felicity did. But I do like Father Jonathan’s plan to give something up and add something in its place.
Maybe I’ll give up grumbling and add gratitude.
Maybe I’ll give up worry and and faith.
Maybe I’ll give up gossip and add encouragement.
And, then, maybe I’ll keep it up longer than 46 days.
How about you?