When I was growing up, I didn’t know what Lent was. I did notice that McDonalds was selling fish, and people would walk around with smudges on their heads, but I didn’t understand the story.
I did, on the other hand understand the church. I was a “church-kid”. Every weekend, Wednesday night, and special event could count on one enthusiastic kid showing up who loved being a part of something. I celebrated birthdays in my church’s youth room and got my first job as a gardener where I mowed lawns, moved dirt, and planted flowers for Easter. The church was a home for me because I understood how it worked and how to work it. I knew how to raise my hands on Sundays, say the right things to the pastor, and stay out of trouble (or at least hide the trouble I got myself into). I knew about grace, salvation, and mercy. But I didn’t know about Lent.
Lent is a season of prayer, fasting, generosity, and humility. It is a somber, reflective season in the Church calendar. It’s a time where the global church prepares for the celebration of Easter and the resurrection. To properly prepare for the resurrection life of easter you have to experience the death of Lent. Lent is about coming face to face with our mortality. It is about accepting that everything will pass away and we can’t control how it will end. The hope of Lent comes when we are finally ready to let go of control and reach out for help. That was the story that I didn’t understand as a kid. I thought peace with God came from everything I did – all the church going, song singing, prayer requesting, and on and on. But that was my story. I was the one writing. I was the one trying to take control of my life. I wasn’t ready for a story about death.
The upside-down nature of the Kingdom of God would have us die before we get on with living. But why? That is what the story of Lent has to teach us.
Finding Ourselves in the Desert
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. The day when Christians receive ashes on their heads as a humble reminder that we came from dust and to dust we shall return. This might seem harsh, but it is the truth. No one gets to skip death; it is a part of life. We all face an end. Once we acknowledge that our end is coming, we stop trying to be God.
The 40 days of Lent are inspired by Jesus’s time of preparation in the desert. After his baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he fasted (went without food) for 40 days and faced temptation. As with everything concerning Jesus, he did this to show us the way. He was telling us a story about where to find real life – start in the desert.
We find ourselves in this story too. Life has a way of leading us into seasons of drought, doubt, or difficulty. These times might feel like failures, but they are not. In the desert, we discover who we really are when everything else is stripped away.
The Freedom of Letting Go
When I finally discovered Lent as an adult, I was suspicious. It seemed like another way to “prove” myself to God and my community with all the giving up of chocolate or social media. Only to feel miserable for a few weeks, then go back to normal. But Lent isn’t about temporary deprivation; it’s about lasting freedom.
Lent teaches us that there is a difference between giving something up and letting something go. Giving up is a test of will-power and self-discipline (both have their places in a well-rounded life). But letting go refusing to believe that you can get father in life by carrying more. Letting go is acceptance, true and honest acceptance of who you are and who God is.
Maybe you need to let go of:
- The need to always be in control
- The exhaustion of keeping up appearances
- The weight of unforgiveness
- The distraction of constant noise and busyness
When we release our grip on these things and create space for God, he will supply all we need.
This is the paradox at the heart of Lent: by embracing our limitations, we find freedom. By facing death, we find life.
Practical Ways to Enter the Lenten Story
If you’ve never practiced Lent before, or if you’re looking for a fresh approach, here are some simple ways to enter this season:
1. Find time for silence everyday
Set aside 10 minutes each day to be quiet. Don’t pray, don’t read, don’t listen to music. Just be still and know that God is God, and you are not. Notice how uncomfortable it will feel because that discomfort has something to teach you.
2. Confess your failures
Find a real friend or mentor and share what you’ve been hiding or minimizing. Talking about our struggles aloud diminishes their power over us. Confession isn’t about shame; it’s about freedom.
3. Fast, go without something you need or want
Give something up that has started to control you rather than you controlling it. Start with food. This can be tricky for many, but the truth is that none of us can live without food and the point of fasting is to get in touch with our mortality. Be healthy about this. If food isn’t right for you then maybe it’s social media, news consumption, shopping, or even the need to have the last word in arguments. The point isn’t the sacrifice itself but what it reveals about your heart.
4. Be Generous
Lent is about giving. Consider how you might share your resources, time, or attention more freely. Could you give away clothes you don’t need? Could you give your full attention to people when they’re speaking instead of multitasking?
5. Embrace imperfection
If you decide to observe Lent and then “fail” at your commitment, don’t quit. This is part of the story too. Lent teaches us that our failures don’t disqualify us from God’s presence; they qualify us for his grace.
Death That Leads to Life
The beauty of the Lenten journey is that it doesn’t end in the desert. It doesn’t end in death. It leads us, step by step, to the resurrection and the life.
When we face our limitations, confess our need, and let go of control we discover the better story God has been writing all along. A story where death gives way to resurrection. Where the desert blooms with unexpected life.
This Lent, I invite you to find yourself in this story. Not as a perfect religious observer checking boxes of devotion, but as a person acknowledging your humanity. In your weakness, in your struggles, in your desert places. God is at work, preparing the way for new life.
Lent isn’t about becoming more spiritual. It’s about becoming more human.
The ashes remind us we are dust, but the empty tomb reminds us that dust, in God’s hands, can dance.
By Brandon Gilliam
