Easter is the most important day of the church year. It’s the day on which our Christian faith hinges. Without the resurrection, we’d all be doomed.
As we walk that 40-day journey, we may give up something that will help us create more discipline or be healthier or manage our time better. Over the years I’ve abstained from wine, bread, and Facebook (a few times on that one!). The only changes that really stemmed from those “sacrifices” were that I realized I missed bread, I missed having an evening glass of wine, and I had a hard time re-engaging with Facebook. If I didn’t have a business/ministry to share, I wouldn’t be on Facebook at all these days.
Think about some of the things you’ve given up for Lent in the past. How did giving those things up change your heart and life?
Here’s a truth: You can sacrifice all you want, but unless that sacrifice causes you to turn inward and really look at your heart and make some changes, you’re not giving up something for the right reasons.
Read that again and think about it.
I’ve decided this year that I will give up nothing. Instead, I am embarking on a great note writing adventure! Every single day in Lent, I will write a card and mail it to someone who has impacted my life or who needs encouragement or both. I will pray for them that day. I’m pretty excited about this Lenten practice, and I’m already compiling my list. Some people may have forgotten me (like the principal who hired me right out of college). I think that reflecting on and expressing my gratitude or offering encouragement to someone who means/meant so much to me will change me more than letting go of a “thing” or habit.
That’s my Lenten practice this year, along with journaling and taking my friend Kristy’s Tuesday morning Christ-centered yoga class as much as I can.
And, of course, weekend worship.
What about you? Do you give up something for Lent? Has this practice REALLY changed your heart and life?
I encourage you to really think about Lent this year and to have some spiritual practices that WILL change your heart and transform your life and bring you closer to God.
The cross here reminds me of my own brokenness and my redemption. I can’t do this life without leaning into God each and every day and living in Christian community. Believe me: I may write and live life from a very deep well, but I can be really rotten, too. I’m sure you can identify.
I’d love to hear about your upcoming Lenten journey! Email me at amywaltoncoaching@gmail.com, and share it with me.
Amy Walton is a certified Christian life coach and yogini, an ambassador for Holy Yoga Global, and a blogger for the Moravian Commission on Congregational Development. Connect with her at amywaltoncoaching@gmail.com.
