A FEW TIPS ON CHOOSING A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE FOR LENT

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Choose a practice that is measurable, meaningful, & manageable…

• Measurable - it's easy to know if you do it or not

• Meaningful - it matches an area of life where you would like to make more space for God or be less reliant on an earthly thing

• Manageable - be realistic about something you could actually do, given your life circumstance  

Some words on fasting...

Some possible ways to fast:

• Fasting from food: drinks, chocolate, desserts, coffee/caffeine, and alcohol.

• Fasting from media: cell phone, TV, radio, music, email, computers, and games.

• Fasting from habits/comforts: shopping, looking in the mirror, elevators, parking in a close spot, finding the shortest line at the store, reading, and sports.

 

Fasting is not...

• A way to suffer for God.

• A spiritual practice that demonstrates how pious or devout you are.

• Righteousness (i.e. it doesn’t equal holiness or sanctification).

• A way of trying really hard spiritually so that God will respond.

 

Fasting is a way to place ourselves in the way of grace by withdrawing our reliance on earthly things so that we can feast on God’s presence and power. 

 

Sundays in Lent

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.  Traditionally, the forty days of Lent include Holy Week, but do not count Sundays, making Sundays a day one can break from a fast.  Others choose to observe the fast until Holy Week or beyond 40 days (every day, all the way through).   

 

Portions adapted from www.gravityleadership.com