Lent: What Are You Giving Up, Giving Away Or Going Through?

I’m not a liturgical Christian. In fact I’m not even sure I know the meaning of the word.

And I wasn’t brought up practicing lent.

I have always been intrigued though by practices and rituals that remind us in tangible ways about how we are linked to God. 

It’s the reason why I ate Kosher for a whole year simply after reading in a book that for orthodox Jews this practice reminds them that they are a set apart people, a chosen people, a holy people. I loved that and I wanted to be reminded of that at least 3 times a day when I chose what food to eat.

It is this – the idea of something daily, ordinary, routine reminding me of the presence of God - that attracts me to lent now.

It’s the reason why I’ve chosen to ways to practice lent this year, the reason why I’m giving up and giving out.

A few years ago a friend of mine, Roxy Burger, decided instead of giving something up for lent she would give something away. She started a little movement called 40 Days of Zams. It basically involves giving one sandwich away a day for 40 days. 

I’ve decided to take part this year because in many ways giving something away for Lent is the same as giving something up.

Making sandwiches makes me give up my idea that I live for myself,  give up the notion that what one of us chooses to do doesn’t impact on anyone else  and give up opinion that a small act couldn’t have great repercussions.

The second thing I’m doing is joining Margaret Feinberg, author of, Wonderstruck, in reading the WHOLE Bible in 40 days. That is about 30 chapters a day for 40 days.

I read the whole Bible through in a month once. I just decided to approach the bible as any other book I would read and carried it around with me, reading the next chapter whenever I had a moment. I loved it. Instead of the bible being a collection of small stories it became about the one story of God’s redemption, love, grace and personal hand in our lives.

I'm diving into the Bible now because my husband and I are about to embark on his second round of chemotherapy for Hodgkins Lymphoma. I somehow think that what we're going through will be made easier with the reminder of the bigger story that I'm part of and God's involvement in it.

I’d love to hear what you are giving up, giving away or going through for Lent so please leave a comment!

Find out more about Wendy by visiting ilovedevotionals.com