Giving Up on Lent (The Reflection for the first Thursday in Lent)

Every.single.year I end up overhearing conversations about what people are "giving up" for Lent. Inevitably these conversations revolve around giving up chocolate or alcohol or donuts or soda or.... My constant encouragement is that Lent is more than just what we give up, it is an invitation to create space in our lives to experience God and God's grace differently than we do during the normal hustle and bustle of life. Lent is a season when we deliberately slow down. When we deliberately exhale. When we open our ears and hearts to listen to the rhythms of grace that surround us.

If you are not sure how you want to practice Lent this year, I offer this graphic. It is wonderful and lovely and brilliant. I shamelessly stole it from our friend, Rev. Whitney Wilkinson. Since the graphic is small, I have typed it up in a list below. Read it over, if you are like me you might find a thing or two that has taken root in your life (almost without notice or intention) that you know you want to "give up" for the health of your spirit.

 

 



1. Fear of Failure
2. Your Comfort Zone
3. Feelings of Unworthiness
4. Impatience
5. Retirement
6. People Pleasing
7. Comparison
8. Blame
9. Guilt
10. Over-commitment
11. Lack of Wise Counsel
12. Finger Pointing
13. Entitlement
14. Apathy
15. Hatred
16. Negativity
17. The Spirit of Poverty
18. Going through the Motions
19. Complaint
20. The Pursuit of Happiness
21. Bitterness
22. Distraction
23. Giving Up
24. Mediocrity
25. Destructive Speech
26. Busyness
27. Loneliness
28. Disunity
29. the Quick Fix
30. Worry
31. Idolizing
32. Resistance to Change
33. Pride
34. A Small View of God
35. Envy
36. Ungratefulness
37. Selfish Ambition
38. Self-Sufficiency
39. Sorrow
40. My Life