Lenten stuff for YOU!
Ash Wednesday is the holiday that kicks off the Lenten season.
It is called Ash Wednesday because we use ashes to remind ourselves of the fact that we will eventually be nothing but ashes - nothing but toast, never to breath again.
As well, ashes were used in the Old Testament to represent shame and guilt for having done something wrong, noting that "I'm no better than dirty ashes" and that the individual needs and wants to turn from the behavior, words, or even thoughts that got them into trouble (sin).
Ash Wednesday invites us to reflect on sin and the ways sin may manifest itself in our lives. Then we are invited to repent and change how we live, no longer living in the old way but instead living lives that reflect the new change of clothes God has given us.
Even though you are young and probably don't think about death, the ashes remind us that we will die one day. In turn, this reality reminds us that with the wages of sin being death, we need God’s forgiveness, grace, and love to live now the way God intends, a way of abundance in His love . . . abiding with & in God so that we can live in the hope of living forever with God.
Lent is a 46-day journey (forty days without Sundays) in the Christian calendar that helps prepare us for Easter. We "prepare" for Easter during Lent by remembering our sin, our frailty, and therefore, our need for God and the Life He offers us. Sounds like a BUMMER. Though we are encouraged to reflect on that in our lives which has separated (maybe even presently is separating) us from God, the Sundays of Lent are reminders and the celebration of the joyful & powerful gift of God's loving salvation through Jesus.
Lent can be a time to reset for those who love God and want to follow Him but have gotten distracted or have not taken their faith as seriously as they want or should. Or, for those who are continuing to grow, Lent reminds us of our continual need for God. We are therefore invited to abide with Jesus and allow Jesus to reveal to us the ways we can love God, ourselves, and others more
faithfully.
The time we take during Lent to focus on our GREAT NEED for God is not meant to drag us down into depression and beat ourselves over how much we need God. However, the more we see our need for God we should also remember the GREATER LOVE He has given us by providing victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ . . . His Life, His Death, and His RESURRECTION!
You can do anything you want . . . well, anything that is legal, anyting that is not hurting anyone else or yourself, or namely anything that your parent(s) and God would want you to do.
Prayer, reading the Bible, attending church regularly, serving others, fasting, and other spiritual disciplines can be a part of your walk with God during Lent. If you consider yourself a Christian, these things should be a part of your life anyway but Lent can be used as a time to recharge by engaging more of these and other practices that express your love for God, love for othes, and ultimately, love for yourself.
One of the ways I mentioned to help focus during Lent is by practicing the discipline of fasting. Fasting is giving up somehting in order to spend more time, energy, or even resources on building your relationship with God. However, we aren’t called to fast from something random and meaningless to us like Gregorian Chant or medieval history. Instead, we are invited to fast from things that have become obstacles in our faith journey—things that keep us from loving God, ourselves, or our neighbors. Fasting helps us focus on God and how we can grow in our love.
For example, if you spend countless hours on TikTok, Netflix, or your game console but don’t spend much time connecting with God, you could fast from these or social media altogehter. Or if you find yourself constantly gossiping about other people, you can fast from gossip.
Lent requires some self-reflection that can be uncomfortable. Examine your life isn't always easy. So, whatever activity you currently participate in that keeps you from growing in your love for God, self, or
others is a good option to choose for a Lenten fast.