Lent is a personal and private journey into humility ā a turning from so we might turn toward. This week, weāre exploring what it is to be empty so that we may be filled. Between family life, work demands, and a world on fire, many of us already feel like weāre running on empty.
So whatās the point of embracing this Lent season, anyway?
Instead of thinking of fasting as a religious ritual of self-deprivation, what if we embraced it as a spiritual practice that invites us to strip distractions, deepen connection, and cultivate humility and compassion in our messy lives?
Iām learning (in a way I never would have chosen for myself) how going without can lead to flourishing. My doctor asked me if Iād consider a three-week elimination diet to check for food allergies/sensitivities.
It turns out that turning from what I used to fill myself with is nourishing me in a new way ā one I can not fully understand, but I can feel.
Lent doesnāt earn us more Jesus points. Itās not a competition to see who is most holy, nor is it a divine invitation to shed a few pounds with intermittent fasting.
I think of it this way: Lent is an invitation to empty our pockets of all the litter weāve accumulated along the way to have space to hold what matters.
As we approach Holy Week, weāre using this space to explore the transformative power of reflection. As the email subtitle says, weāre in our Lent era.
I share this in the Spring introduction of Every Season Sacred:
Perhaps no other season so clearly highlights the cyclical, transitional nature of the created world and our spiritual lives. Like Godās Kingdom, itās both now and not quite yet. Springās beginnings are messy here in the Midwest: snow melts into slush and then morphs into mud puddles. Daytime stretches longer, but we still send the kids to school with snow boots and gloves. The church calendar also reflects this messiness, inviting us to enter into a time of reflection and repentance as we observe Lent (the forty days leading up to Jesusā death and burial) and ā finally! ā His resurrection.
The tough part about spring is that we donāt get to skip the mess and go straight to the celebration of Easter. Just as the daffodils and tulips and cherry blossoms take time to burst forth, we, too, have to take time to sit in the messy, muddy middle space.
What would it look like for you ā in the midst of student-led conferences/homework at the dinner table/preschool drop-off ā to embrace the challenges and (dare I say) blessings of going without?
In her book The Irrational Season, Madeleine L'Engle writes, āfasting is a way of coming to the brink of the grave and finding there the newness of life."
The life of one who stumbles toward Jesus is full of paradox.
This week, weāre exploring releasing what *isnāt* ours to hold so that we may receive what *is*.
Words to Borrow:
āTo Go Withoutā chapter on page 170 of Every Season Sacred. (Youāll find a reflection, breath prayer for you, Scripture, family conversation prompts, and two prayers to pray with your family.)
āA Prayer for Lentā on page 148 of To Light Their Way.
- was our guest liturgist over on Instagram. She shared a beautiful blessing for wandering the wilderness, an adapted excerpt from her new book.
This Weekās Edition Includes:
Breath prayers
Scripture
Reflection Prompts
Weekly Playlist
Wisdom to Borrow
Wallpaper
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Breath Prayer:
Choose a breath prayer from below to carry into this week. When you feel like youāre running on empty and have nothing to spare, take a moment to breathe.
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