I have been a church goer all of my life. I gave my life to Christ at 9 years old and have tried to be the best person I could be. I have failed at this many times, and in all honesty, have often found myself thinking that there is no possible way that Jesus Christ would ever want someone like me to be in his eternal kingdom.
In all of my 30 years, I have no partaken in this thing called Lent. Wikipedia describes lent as "the preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance of sins,almsgiving, atonement and self-denial. Its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the tradition and events of the New Testament beginning on Friday of Sorrows, further climaxing on Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday, which ultimately culminates in the joyful celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ."
I thought Lent was a time in which people gave up something...anything...in order to basically say they gave it up for God.
I guess here is why, all my life, I have thought that this was the definition of Lent. I saw everyone around me, giving up things like Red Meat, Carbs, Television...etc. I believe this to be a wonderful thing. It makes you be conscious of your decisions - but I was missing and never saw the other side of Lent. My church pastor at revolution Church is Salina made a comment about fasting this morning in services, that the time that you do not spend in eating and in denying your human body what it craves, you spend in prayer and in leaning on God to fill your spiritual needs. During the Lent season, I see many giving up things - but none spending time really devoting themselves to Christ. I see people denying themselves sugar, but they still have sex or live with their boyfriend or girlfriend. I see people saying no to french fries, but still taking part in gossip. I see people denying themselves red meat and then drop the F-bomb fifteen times in one conversation.
I am not perfect, but this is why I can see why some outsiders think Christians are hypocritical. If you are going to deny yourself something, deny yourself something that would make you more like Christ. Deny yourself sexual relations before marriage, deny yourself to take part in gossip, and deny yourself using language that sets you farther from the Lord.
I know what I am giving up for Lent. Sin.
It won't be easy, and I am sure to fail - but that will not stop me from trying my little heart out.
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