Lent for Everyone
Many Christians begin the season of Lent today, but even if you belong to a denomination that doesn’t observe Lent, or even as a non-believer, this season can be a good time to work on yourself.
From a religious standpoint, Lent is a season for prayer, reflection, and preparation for the celebration of Easter. It’s a 40 day period, which is an important number throughout the Bible. The season of Lent kicks off on Ash Wednesday. Usually Christians will give up something for the 40 days as a demonstration of obedience and in recognition of Jesus’ sacrifice.
There are four core concepts built into the Lent season that I think everyone can benefit from: ashes, reflection, preparation, and hope.
Ashes: Ashes are often symbolic of returning to what you came from. God tells Adam, “…For dust you ARE, And to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19). They represent death and an end, but, they also symbolize a beginning. Think about the mythological phoenix; who goes out in fiery flames, but then returns to life from the ashes. I think during seasons of suffering it’s easy to feel as though the pain is unnecessary, compounded, and unyielding. I read something over the summer that really changed my perspective on this kind of hurt:
We think the shattering in our lives could not possibly be for any good. But what if shattering is the only way to get dust back to its basic form so that something new can be made? We can see dust as a result of an unfair breaking. Or we can see dust as a crucial ingredient. - Lysa Terkeurst, It’s Not Supposed to be This Way
She continues with the analogy that no potter can create a beautiful new piece of art with chunky clay. To be fully new, the old needs to be ground into the smallest, most basic form. (soooo good!!!) Nobody wants to be broken, nobody wants to hurt, but if we’re going to live through it anyway, I sure as hell hope there’s a purpose to it all and that I come out of it for the better!
Reflection: Taking time to reflect on things done and left undone isn’t something that comes naturally to me. I’m certainly a “keep looking forward” kind of person. The pandemic has taken the ‘busy’ out of my life, and given me the space to take time and think about things. It is said that history is the best teacher. What has the past taught you? I’m about to kick off a study about understanding where your decisions have led you in the past, and how to use that wisdom to make different choices in the future. Do you like where you are? How did you get here? Where would you like to end up? What can you do to make that happen? Which all leads to…
Preparation: Ever heard the saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” ? I certainly find myself just going through the motions of life sometimes. It’s easy enough to plan for a specific event that’s on the calendar, but what about bigger, more intangible things in life that are coming your way? How will I deal with teenagers? What kind of partner do I want to be? What goals do I have for myself in 5, 10 years? How can I make an impact? If you look at where you want to end up, you can begin today making changes and small moves to get there easier.
Hope: Lent doesn’t end with a party, it ends with the Last Supper - the day before Jesus is crucified on Good Friday. The 40 days of obedience and suffering lead right into death. UGH! But then, on Easter, Christians get the biggest blessing and celebration - the resurrection of Christ and hope for new life! Seasons of pain can get worse before they get better. They can take a detour when you feel you’ve gotten back on track. Sometimes there is no light at the end of the tunnel. In those times, it’s so very important for you find a light. Light can come from faith, from friends, from a therapist, from music, from art, from a good show. I truly believe in ‘fake it till you make it’ when it comes to hope. It can take going through the motions to reset our brain and heart to see possibility. I’d encourage you to really lean into hope the next few weeks.
For Lent I’ve decided to give up the things that weigh me down: clutter, fear, and control. So, for the next 40 days, I am committing to:
spend 30 minutes each day tidying up the spaces in my home that give me stress (I’ll set a timer and blast some music!)
journal every night to write down fears, prayers, and things out of my control that I need to release - better to have the thoughts on paper rather than bouncing around in my head!
Below you will see a small sampling of some of my ‘stress spaces’… I couldn’t bring myself to take a photo of the craft clutter - shame trigger!! haha
If you don’t plan to make a specific sacrifice or behavior change for Lent, my wish for you is that you take some time to reflect, prepare, and find hope!
