Why Lent?

Lent is a 40 day period that starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter. It is a time where Christians usually fast, pray, and repent in preparation for Jesus rising on Easter. Many people choose to give up certain fast food chains, social media, or habits instead of fasting. Whatever you choose to "give up" should lead to a closer experience with God.

In Psalm 23, David says "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." Especially in today's materialistic world, I find it hard to believe that any of us would say that "we lack nothing." No matter how much we have, we always want more. We have strayed so far from resting in contentment and the truth that He is enough. I'm talking to myself just as much as I am you, as you all probably know I am very spoiled haha. But I hope that myself and Christians will slowly revisit times of simplicity and contentment. Lent is a great way to start slowly giving things up that no longer serve a purpose in our journey with the Lord.

As a gym rat it is always tempting for me to subconsciously turn lent into an exercise or diet challenge instead of a time to draw near to the Lord. Giving up sweets has always been "sacrificial" to me, but I also loved the physical results it had on my body since Lent ends right around spring break. If I commit to giving something up, I usually stay firm in my goal. What I struggle with is the replacement.

The point of giving something up is to remember God when you are tempted. For example, "bruh I really wish I had a cookie right now. Why can't I have one? oh yeah, Its because I am remembering how much God sacrificed for me. Instead of having a cookie, I am going to pray instead and thank God for his sacrifice which is much greater than my sacrifice of not having a cookie." However, in years past, I did not replace my desire for a cookie with prayer or remembrance of him, I replaced it with scrolling on tiktok or bingeing shows on Netflix, which defeats the purpose of Lent entirely. Sure, I succeeded in denying myself a cookie, but what did I gain?

This year, I am still giving up sweets. I am not doing this solely for the health benefits, but if you know me I have a MASSIVE sweet tooth and could eat sugar all day long. I feel like giving this up would be what is most "sacrificial" to me. I am also giving up gym music that is not God-honoring or gives me a prideful "look at me" attitude. I feel like this will especially be a challenge for me, and I can already hear the devil saying "bruh how are you supposed to get hype to worship music? are you really gonna hit a PR to how great thou art?" But I know that when I honor God in something, he promises to be faithful and bless that so I am trying to remember that. I will replace sweets with prayer or time with God, not tiktok or Netflix. And I will replace my usual gym music with music that is uplifting.

So if you didn't know what lent was or why people do it, now ya know. And I would encourage anyone who wants to grow with the Lord to partake in it, even if it is just giving up swear words for 40 days. The Lord promises to meet us where we are and draw near to us when we draw near to him. Put your faith in him and you will be surprised what God can do in your life in 40 days.

If you need ideas for what to give up, or if you just need an accountability partner, Y'all know I'm always available :)

Gracie Greer

(770) 595-1220