If you’re GIVING UP something for Lent it’s important to know what you will be TAKING UP too. In the six weeks leading up to Easter (40 days not including Sundays) many Christians use this time to observe some form of fast. The discipline of self denial can have many benefits (spiritual, mental and physical) if done in the right way – emulating the 40 days that Jesus was tested in the wilderness.

The gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus ‘ate nothing’ in the wilderness (Luke 4:2) but a fast can take a great variety of less extreme forms. For example, we may choose to miss one meal a day by skipping lunch or we may decide to cut out sugar, caffeine, alcohol or chocolate for Lent – which of course has immediate health benefits too. Other popular things to GIVE UP for Lent include social media, watching TV or video streaming.

TAKING UP

All these are great ways to ‘give up something for Lent’ and as the Holy Spirit leads you I’d say “Go for it!” However, at the same time please also consider what you are going to TAKE UP for Lent. You see, what is very easy to miss when we focus on what we are going to ‘GIVE UP’ is the empty void that ‘stopping that activity’ is going to make in the day.

For example, instead of a daily lunch break activity – making/acquiring the meal, eating the meal, socialising while eating, cleaning up/disposing of the meal – there will be an empty gap in the middle of your day! If you are considering giving up TV, the average Brit spends just over 4 hours a day watching TV and video content – so you’re going to have a lot of time on your hands! Not to mention the average of one and a half hours a day we spend on social media.

For a more in-depth article on fasting read: THE POWER OF FASTING

My point is, perhaps even more important than GIVING UP for Lent is considering what we are TAKING UP for Lent. Considering what you are actually going to DO during your time of abstinence is so much more positive and opens up a world of edifying possibilities.

We may set out with high hopes of locking ourselves in the prayer closet for hours at a time (and again – if the Holy Spirit leads you, go for it!), but for most of us this is a great aspiration that needs to be worked towards (perhaps start with 5 minutes?) – So here’s some suggestions for activities to take up during a Lent fast:

GUIDED DAILY DEVOTIONALS

There are many great resources out there (books and videos) for daily devotionals over Lent and these can provide helpful guided Bible readings, reflection and prayer. Simply go to Amazon (or your book store of choice) and search for ‘Lent Devotional’. Consider a theme focussed devotional or working through one of the books of the Bible with an attitude of reflection and meditation.

You may even consider learning and reciting a passage of scripture – it’s not as hard as it sounds if you do it consistently over a period of time.

On Spirit Lifestyle we have a (book and video) course called ‘The Believers Guide to Thriving’ (by yours truly 😊 ) which takes a practical look at the five devotions of Christian giving, prayer, fasting, worship and meditation – six chapters for the six weeks of Lent. How about observing a different discipline each week?

PRAYER WALKING

Prayer walking is a great way to fill an ’empty meal time’ with a devotional activity. Take a walk around your town or neighbourhood and start praying for people and places you see as you walk. Who knows possibilities this will open up as you develop a more God-focussed view of your community environment.

PRAYER PLACE

Combining this with the previous activity, is there a place you can sit and listen and pray? Perhaps an old church, a market square, a quiet bench in a park? Making a special place to sit for contemplation, reflection and prayer is a good routine on a fast.

GETTING CREATIVE

How about using the time for a creative activity. In the new year I gave up my daily habit of ‘doom scrolling’ the news and social media but decided at the same time to take up painting; nothing grand or expensive – just some simple landscape inks. There is a spirituality to creative expression in all its many varieties (consider music or dance/movement) and this can be a time of worship and contemplation too.

SERVICE

The heart of Christian devotion to God is service and generosity. Though most activities we have considered are largely solitary why not consider doing something for or with others? Ask God if he is putting anyone on your heart (family or friends or colleagues) to reach out to. Or how about volunteering for a good social cause – helping out at the local social enterprise centre and so on…

IN SUMMARY

Giving up anything for Lent is only half the story and must be complemented by the taking up of life-enriching devotions and activities to be of any real value. Our goal is that by practicing these things we will introduce good habits into our lifestyles that will help us mature spiritually and go deeper with God. We hope and pray that whatever you do over the next weeks of Lent that you will know God and and the reality of his love and power in your life more than ever!

A final thought…

There is no condemnation for the Christian who doesn’t observe Lent – we have been set free from such rules and regulation in Christ and our practice is life in the Spirit – not harsh treatment of the body (Colossians2:16-17) . So we are free to say, “I’m fasting from fasting!” But we are also free to deepen our freedom in Christ with expressions of discipline and devotion as the Holy Spirit leads us too.