I've been 'giving up' something now for about 40 years. Early on I would give up chocolate, or gum, or some other candy. As I got older I would give up beer (Karen loves to point out that I would still drink other forms of alcohol), or TV. One time I asked my brother-in-law what he was giving up for lent, and he told me "leaning up against the wall in an elevator." Perplexed, I asked him "Are you in elevators often?" His reply - "No"
If I am honest, most of those Lents have been totally and completely fruitless. My commitment to my Lenten promise, silly as it was, would fade after a week or 2 and the whole experience would be lost. Easter would arrive, and my focus would be on the eggs (or more importantly the candy or money inside them), or after my kids were born on their experience. Even after I started to value my faith more in my 30's, the pulls and tugs of 'life' kept my focus well outside where Christ would have liked it to be during this season of purification.
Lent is a time where Christ asks us to go into the desert - into the hard places. The things we sacrifice and the fasting that is prescribed are tools the church gives to help build within us the discipline needed to move away from our comfortable, complacent lives and towards the light that will expose the brokenness within all of us.
Why would I want to go there?
That sounds painful and difficult, doesn't it?
Who wants to look at that part of me?
I don't like this part of me and so I try to hide it from everyone.
I recently finished a book called "Kisses from Katie," the truly INSPIRING story of Katie Davis (if you like to read, this book is a must - if you do not, then reading this book would be a great sacrifice to make during Lent). Below is a passage that might help answer the questions I asked above:
"I have learned along my journey that if I really want to follow Jesus, I will go to the hard places. Being a Christ follower means being acquainted with sorrow. We must know sorrow to be able to fully appreciate joy. Joy cost pain, but the pain is worth it. After all, the murder had to take place before the resurrection.
I'll be honest, The hard places can seem unbearable. It's dark and it's scary, and even though I know God said He will never leave or forsake me, sometimes it's so dark that I just can't see Him. But then the most incredible thing happens: God takes me by the hand and walks me straight out of the hard place and into the beauty on the other side. He whispers to me to be thankful, that even this will be for His good.
It takes awhile sometimes, coming out of the dark place. Sometimes God and I come out into a desert and he has to carry me through that too. Sometimes I slip a lot on the way out and He has to keep coming back to get me. Always, on the other side is something beautiful, because He has used the hard place to increase my sense of urgency and to align my desires with His. I realize that it was there that He was closest to me, even in the times when I didn't see Him. I realize that the hard places are good because it is there that I gained more wisdom, and though with wisdom comes sorrow, on the other side of sorrow is joy. And a funny thing happens when I realize this: I want to go to the hard places again. Again and again and again."
My prayer for all of us, including myself , this Lent is that we resolve to go with God to the Hard Places in our own lives, where ever that may be. How you may ask? My suggestion would be to build some discipline focused on prayer, fasting, scripture reading and mediation. In this way we will allow Our Lord to speak to our hearts in the quiet time we spend with Him, and He will start to shine His light in those places we try to keep hidden. Don't be surprised when this happens, just trust in Him and allow him to take you through it - and as Katie says we will find the Joy on the other side.
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