What I came to learn, and appreciate, was that lent is a time set aside in the church calendar to help you prepare your heart and your mind for Easter. Based on when your church concludes their lenten season, lent typically lasts about 40 days. The 40 days are representative of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness, which many scholars believe is the time period Jesus used to prepare His mind, body and spirit for the ministry He was about to start on earth. While Jesus was in the wilderness, He fasted, which is why many people observe lent by abstaining from certain things during that period of time.
Since the lenten season is about preparing your heart and mind for Easter, it makes sense that the purpose of abstaining from something for 40 days is to create more space in your life to focus on God. I am certainly not an expert on the topic, but I love the idea of marking the calendar for a period of time and doing something that will intentionally bring my heart and my mind back to the the salvation that is only offered to us through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection.
Shawn and I usually observe lent very differently but way back in our dating relationship we observed lent together by completing a 40 bags in 40 days challenge. At first glance this untraditional lenten challenge of decluttering seemed a little too far off the mark to "count" but, we gave it a whirl and loved it so much we ended up doing it multiple years in a row. We're geared up to do it again this year and we couldn't be more excited to involve our kids in the process. Nicole is always an eager helper and I can't think of a better time to talk about the eternal life that is offered to us because of Jesus.
With love,
Erica
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9
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