Matthew 4:1-2: Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

Gratitude Day 929

This past Wednesday, Lent began. On Ash Wednesday, we begin a 40-day period in the Christian calendar that marks the 40 days (minus Sundays) before Easter. It’s a time when we are encouraged to reflect upon what Jesus accomplishes us for Easter. A time to be more intentional about pondering what this means for us, humanity, for God’s kingdom.

The forty days is intentional. Before Jesus began his public ministry, he spent forty days in the wilderness, alone with God. No eating. Yes, he was tempted multiple times but refrained from the temptation. At some point, some Christians began denying themselves something during Lent; fasting from something as a reminder of those 40 days that Jesus denying himself food.

Ash Wednesday in our area was a day of ice and snow. Schools were canceled, which meant many Ash Wednesday services were also canceled. Hubby Rick and I watched an online service. We lit a candle and discovered that we could use the soot from the candle to mark each other’s forehead with a cross; often done during Ash Wednesday services. No, it wasn’t ashes from last year’s palms on Palm Sunday (which is where the ashes traditionally come from), but we still got the point across to each other.

Both Hubby Rick and I have individually determined a thing or two that we are fasting from during Lent. Often, fasts include not eating a certain food throughout Lent or not eating during certain hours on a particular day of Lent. But fasting can also be refraining from other things. A favorite pastime or a distraction in our lives. Instead of participating in this practice, we are encouraged to use that time to reflect upon God and our relationship with God.

One thing I got honest with myself about this week? I am highly distracted by the news and have been since mid-January. I find myself reading a lot more news online than I used to. Like many Americans, I have read some news online for quite a while. But these days, I’m doing it a lot more. If I were totally honest with myself, I would say that it has become a bit more than a passing distraction. And so, this Lent, I want to be more careful about exactly how much time I spend doing this. I haven’t quit cold turkey. But can I turn to something other than mindlessly scrolling through news headlines and reading stories that catch my attention and use this time in a more productive way?

Honestly, this feels more challenging than spending a little more time with God each day. Or reading a Lenten devotion with Hubby Rick. Giving up a favorite food seems minor compared to setting my phone down and focusing on what I should be doing.

Do others struggle with this? It’s not my place to determine this but look around and see how often people are staring into their phones rather than having a meaningful conversation with someone. Yes, it’s easy to pick up our phone and Google some piece of information that we want to know. Right now. Or show a photo to someone. Yes, we use these mini-computers to communicate quickly with each other. In fact, we often wonder how life worked when we weren’t able to text or call each other when plans change at the last minute.

As helpful as they are, they can also be a distraction. And this is a distraction that I hope I will be honest with myself and put a few boundaries up with this Lent.

Think about what a major distraction in your life is. Something you turn to when you want to not focus on what is important. Or you need a little break. Yes, having distractions are helpful and sometimes, even important. But when this distraction creeps more and more into your life with no boundaries, is it important to realize this? When is it time to step back and re-evaluate how you use this distraction?

These are personal questions. For you. For me. Lent is a time for inner reflection. To be honest with ourselves. It’s also an opportunity to name those distractions and be intentional about at what level or amount we want to give these distractions space in our lives. Another way we can look at Lent is to add something into our lives that will be meaningful. Maybe it’s taking some of that time we spend on a distraction and putting it towards serving someone else. It doesn’t have to be huge. It’s choosing a little something that will demonstrate God’s love to a neighbor.

Hubby Rick and I have been using this free daily Lenten devotional. It’s not too late to start using it this Lent.

Throughout Lent, I am sharing a daily affirmation of how we can grow in our spiritual Lenten journey on social media. I invite you to check them out and use these as part of our Lenten practice. I’d love to hear your feedback about these little daily affirmations and how they impact you.

It’s the season of Lent. A time for reflection about who we are as God’s beloved children. I pray we discover something new about ourselves this Lent because we want to.

For the season of Lent and the encouragement to look more deeply at my spiritual journey, I am thankful.

Blessings –
Dianne

Holy God – In these 40 days before Easter, place it upon my heart what distraction in my life I could intentionally try to embrace less often. Guide me to decide for myself what this distraction is and how I can limit it in my life. Place it upon my heart how I can grow personally in my faith journey this Lent. Amen.

Looking for a bit of daily inspiration? Check out my daily affirmation posts on Facebook and Instagram (Dianne Deaton Vielhuber and Simple Words of Faith.)

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