fast post about fasting

I have stumbled upon several articles in various magazines and online blogs about liturgy and Lent and Holy Week. This is only surprising because they're not Catholic articles, and most denominations do not celebrate Lent and Holy Week. So it's been really awesome to see all of these positive things written about liturgy and the value and grace found in tradition. I could not find any of these magazine articles online, but they are from places like Relevant, and Today's Christian Woman. They have been really awesome, inspiring, honest articles, too.

Which has just got me thinking about how easy it is to take for granted the opportunity of Lent. A whole season, 40 days, to join together with millions of other people in dying to self and pressing into God. I wish the idea of "giving something up for Lent" was better understood, because there are a lot of misconceptions about it.

We give things up in order to point us to God. So-by abstaining from sweets or television or caffeine (some popular ones) the goal is to use that energy/hunger/dependence/time to switch our gears and fill that space in our lives with God. It's not about some track record to see if you actually CAN stop eating chocolate cake for over a month and then have a party and say "yay me!" at the end. I used to feel that way about fasting. I would think things like, "If I DON'T eat today, I will show God how much I love him;" "If I really stay away from food today and don't tell anyone I'm fasting, I will be one heck of a christian."

But what I failed to realize was that there is nothing replacing that void. I would just be hungry all day and keep my feelings on the inside (complaining would surely go against what Jesus told us about fasting, I felt) than I win. I did it. I accomplished something great. Food has no power over me! Looks like my priorities are in order. Take that! (Insert Rocky theme music here).

Wrong. My motivations were totally off base. We have nothing to prove to God. Nothing we do is going to make God love us more or less. Instead through fasting and abstaining from things, God just desires us to get closer to Him. To really hear what he's saying. To take a break from these things that drive us and fill our world and instead, get alone with God and really open up our hearts.

So, needless to say, my feelings towards Lent and fasting have changed. I understand that if I were to mess up one day and eat something i was trying to fast from-nobody wins or loses. That's not the important part anyway. Tomorrow is another day. All the more reason to go and be with God some more.