Lent is Hard.

We're midway through Lent, more or less. And can I just say that fasting* for Lent is hard? I mean, I know it's not meant to be easy, but I always forget how hard it actually is.

Fasting is hard because I feel sadness and loss. I don't have to fast, but I choose to fast in order to understand Jesus' sacrifice more. Fasting makes me realize how much Jesus went through, and then I see that my chosen losses pale in comparison to what Jesus went through. He gave up his perfect sinless life for my sin! I have nothing in comparison to offer. And that is the point. In practicing Lent, I remember the gravity of Jesus' atonement.

Fasting is hard because I see the things I fast from often. This reminds of my privilege, and of my sins of ingratitude. Jesus dying for my sins is more than I deserve. How I can ignore his blessings is beyond me, and yet part of the sinful nature constantly at work within me. Lent increases my appreciation of God's blessings, at least for a time.

Fasting is hard because it feels so long. But how long must it have felt for Jesus who lived years on the earth knowing his destiny? What about the road to the cross and all the agony Jesus endured? Jesus was longsuffering through it all.

Fasting is hard because it exposes my sin nature. It exposes my pride, my desire for self-gratification, my tendency to justify and rationalize my own actions, and more. I don't like seeing these things, but these are some of the many reasons I need Jesus.

Lent is about focusing on the cross. As one person put it recently, in everything we do for Lent, we should ask, "How does this make the cross of Christ bigger?" For me, fasting during Lent does make the cross bigger. I don't like the hard, but I need the hard. I need to realize how big the cross is, and how big the sin Jesus took there for me is. I need to realize how hard it was for Jesus to die there. I need to realize how hard it is for me to give up my sin, and yet how much I need to do it. As I fast, may the hard drive me to the cross, for only there can I find strength to do all the hard things God calls me to do.

Reference:

Downs, A. F. (Host). (2022, January 24). She Reads Truth + Lent 2022! (Episode 359). [Audio podcast episode]. In That sounds fun. https://www.anniefdowns.com/podcast/episode-359-she-reads-truth-lent-2022/

*Note: I never fast completely during Lent. Rather, I fast from a food (or foods), media, habits, or other things.