What Evangelicals Can Learn from Lent

At age 12, I discovered a television soap opera called Dark Shadows. It spellbound me with its tales of witches, vampires, ghosts, and werewolves. I watched it every day after school, drawn to the witches’ power to protect themselves. I didn’t know if witchcraft was real, but I wanted to find out. After all, my mother spoke well of witchcraft and claimed her grandmother in Mexico was a witch.

But after a couple years of watching Dark Shadows, my girlfriend Linda told me she thought I was too obsessed with it. She said I was starting to act like one of the witches. Also, she wasn’t sure whether witchcraft was compatible with Christianity. Hence, she suggested I give it up for Lent as a sign that God was more important to me than the show.

He was, so I did. I wasn’t a Christian yet, but I was searching for God and wanted to please him.

What I Discovered

By the end of the 40 days, I was surprised at how free I felt. Free from the enticing aroma of promised power, security, and granted wishes. Free from the tantalizing scent that captured and kept my attention. And free from murky haze that arose from a bubbling caldron of agitation, one-upmanship, and revenge.

Later, Linda gave me a New Testament. I came to Christ while reading the Gospel of John. Still later, I discovered that the Bible explains that people cannot approach God in their own way. Among the unacceptable worship practices, I found this:

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.

Deuteronomy 18:10-11

Linda was right to warn me away from witchcraft!

What Is Lent?

Lent commemorates the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness. So many observe the time by starting with a day of repentance and continuing by giving up one luxury for 40 or so days, ending around Easter. Some churches have Scripture readings for Lent to help focus believers on the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

The churches that observe Lent include Anglican, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, Moravian, Reformed, United Protestant, and Roman Catholic. Even some Anabaptist, Baptist, and nondenominational Christian churches observe it.

Lessons from Lent

After I became a Christian, the churches I attended didn’t observe Lent. Nonetheless, observing it twice under Linda’s guidance taught me some valuable lessons.

1.    Preparing Our Hearts for Easter Benefits Us

Remember how John the Baptist came baptizing to prepare people’s hearts for the coming of Jesus? And remember how Jesus said to take communion in memory of his crucifixion and resurrection?

Preparing our hearts to commemorate the greatest event in earth’s history is highly beneficial. I usually prepare for Easter by reading a Gospel in such a way that the crucifixion falls on Good Friday. This annual focus on Jesus’s gift to us prepares my heart to worship as I commemorate Good Friday and celebrate Resurrection Day.

2.    Fasting Benefits Us

I’m glad Linda didn’t suggest giving up a luxury either year that we observed it together. Both times I gave up something that was consuming time and leading me away from God.

My experience giving up a gripping soap opera was so positive that I’ve continued to incorporate fasts in my life, though not necessarily at Lent or for 40 days. For example, Clay and I sometimes do a 24-hour media fast. We substitute reading the Bible and praying during the time we would have watched the news or a movie. (I’ve encouraged others to try this too. Some who have say they initially found this difficult because they weren’t used to being alone with their thoughts—thoughts they needed to pray through and get comfortable with in Jesus.)

A 24- or 48-hour complaining fast can break that joy-robbing habit. I plan these whenever I notice a grumbling attitude taking hold. Every time I’m tempted to gripe, I give praise and thanks instead.

A 12- or 24-hour food fast is ideal when I need direction or am interceding for a loved one. I use hunger pangs as a reminder to pray for what I’m seeking. If you’re young and healthy, go for a zero-calorie fast. If you’re not, or if you want to go longer than a day or two, consider the fast the elderly Daniel chose:

I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.

Daniel 10:3

3.    Fasts Can Break Joy-Killing Habits

Giving up something that has been taking time and attention away from God for 40 days can be freeing. It’s a way to refocus on God and step away from things that rob us of joy and peace.

Consider what things are robbing you of joy and peace now. Might you fast from one for 40 days to transition to a calmer, more God-focused life?

• Is social media stirring a boiling pot of anger, resentment, jealousy, or sense of failure?
• Are magazines and catalogues a dark skillet of discontent in which envy and lusts after people, positions, possessions, or pleasures sizzle?
• Has Internet research become a hot oven in which bakes a steaming casserole of succulent morsels of slander and gossip mixed with the heady spice of self-righteousness?

If so, take a break. Fast from concoctions that taste sweet to the tongue but are bitter to the spirit. Use the time you would have spent on what you’re breaking from to draw close to God. See if at the end of the fast you feel free, peaceful, and renewed in your walk with the Lord.

Conclusion

Lent is an ideal time to prepare for commemorating Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. Scripture reading is particularly rewarding. But, as I learned from Linda, fasting from one thing that’s got an unhealthy grip on us can free us and make room for peace and joy to grow again.

But if you suspect you have a joy-killing habit and Easter is a long way off, don’t wait for Lent. Give it up for a predetermined period. You’ll reap the benefits!

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• The introductory story is adapted from Discovering Good News in John
• The complaining and media fasts are adapted from Discovering Joy in Philippians