You’ve made your declaration for Lent with the best of intentions. Those intentions are a bit hard to keep. What Should you do now?

Confession, I grew up in the belly of the South. Have you ever heard of the Bible Belt? I grew up in the super duper huge belt buckle Bible Belt. It was like the super big boss belt. The Baptist church that we attended was “THE” Baptist church. Honestly, Lent was never even discussed. I used to look at my Methodist, Catholic and Episcopal friends with wonder when they came through with ashes on their heads. My friends never actually explained to me the concept of Lent, but it was indeed cool that they got to go around dirty with ashes all day. Fast forward to today. Lent is in full force. Abstaining from things is in full swing. I decided that this year I would ask my friend Judy about her experience with Lent. She decided to give up cursing and alcohol until Easter. I did look at her like, “Seriously?” She responded with a very firm, “It works for me.” After our discussion, I decided to look a little bit more into Lent. I found some funny slogans in my search for knowledge. 

Lent is here. Now what?

Lent, the only time you willingly give up anything. Sort of.

So you gave up chocolate for Lent. Good Luck!

You can find more funny Lent musings here:

101+ Funny Lent Slogans & Taglines To Celebrate the Season

I am sure that most are familiar, but Lent is the period of 40 days that leads up to Easter. When Jesus was on earth, he fasted for 40 days. During that time, he was tempted by Satan. In that temptation, Jesus never relented in His faithfulness. That is truly amazing and inspiring.
You can read more about Lent here.

Lent started about a week ago. I thought that I would check in on my friend concerning her swearing and alcohol break. The conversation went something like this, “Well, are you making it?” After a few moments of silence, she confessed that while abstaining from alcohol was going just fine, the cursing was not at its best. She works in a profession that is very people-oriented and in her words: “People are just so extra at times I need to step around the corner and let off some steam!” She felt really bad that she had ruined her very good intentions within a few days. That spurred some interesting thoughts to percolate in my mind. 

In choosing to participate in Lent we are purifying our intentions. 

What is intention? An intention is making a plan, to aim for something.  It is interesting that the medical definition is as follows: the healing process of a wound. Our intention during Lent is to deny something from our lives to spur us on towards holiness. To be aware of that action and to place that action in God’s very capable hands through prayer and reflection. 

Lent brings into sharp focus the passage in Ephesians Chapter 1. Particularly verses 7-10. 

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known[c] to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. NIV Version

Lent is practiced to remind us of God’s grace.

Lent brings forward the intention of purifying ourselves. The practice also points us in the direction of God’s will for our lives. We may start with those grand intentions and we may fail. Sometimes more than once. But God in His grace helps us to dust ourselves off, remember our intentions, and get back up again. Often life gets so hectic that our focus tends to move away from that purpose of intention. Lent is like cleaning off your glasses, putting them back on, and suddenly everything comes back into focus. Even when our intentions are hard to keep, don’t give up. Continue to pray, continue to ask God for strength and mercy to soldier on. 

Why is the the medical definition of intention important?

In participating in the practice of Lent we are practicing healing ourselves and experiencing the marvelous forgiveness of God. We may fall, and we may not keep our intentions, but through God’s grace and mercy, we can get back up and try again. 
You can read more musings about Lent here.

I shared with my dear friend Judy to keep the faith, and keep walking the walk. God honors her intentions. That is why Lent truly is a gift and an opportunity to grow in faith. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt: “Believe you can and you are halfway there.”