“What to Give Up for Lent?”
By Allison Provinsal, Fiat Ventures
First Sunday of Lent
I like to think of this time preparing for Lent as the annual debate. What should I do for Lent this year? As I have contemplated over the last week or so what I would like to do to better myself and grow in my faith this Lenten season, I have faced the same dilemma I seem to face every year. The struggle of moving outside of my comfort zone for the sake of moving closer to God and to those in my life. For the past few years I have tended to do something, or work on something during Lent, rather than just giving something up, or at least in addition to it. For example saying the rosary every day, or actively working on not complaining or being more joyful.
We hear from Luke, the story of Jesus spending 40 days of fasting and prayer in the desert. During this time, he is tempted in several ways by the Devil. As I was reading this I was really struck; “How could Jesus have been tempted? After all he is God!” As we read on, we see him resist temptation over and over, but that does not mean it was not there, and was not very real for him in those moments. We can forget that Jesus was fully God, but also FULLY man while here on earth. This means he experienced all the temptations and emotions, those things we all face every day. Remember – he was like us in everything but sin.
As I move into Lent and decide what I would like to do for this time of prayer and sacrifice, I feel encouraged to look at what those temptations are in my daily life. The temptation to compare myself and my life to others. The temptation to be ungrateful, even though I have so much to be thankful for. The temptation to fall into the ways of the world, which often are the exact opposite of what I know I should be doing!
Recognizing what our greatest temptations and sins are can help us to decide what it is we really should be focusing on and improving on this Lent. Jesus sets the example of looking to the scriptures in our weak moments, and turning to God for the answers when we seem to be lost or distracted from what really matters. I encourage you to try and reflect on your daily temptations as we enter into the Lenten season. Maybe pick one sin to really focus on conquering this season, and I think you will find that through God’s grace, we can overcome any temptation the Devil throws our way.
