Path to Renewing Faith - Part 1

As we start this 2025 Lenten season, it brings up the common questions about what is Lent?, what is it for?, and is it Biblical or necessary?  We also can consider spiritual questions like, I feel like I need something else in my life, but what is it?  Let’s see how our friend Maria journeyed through a similar season:

One winter morning, Maria stood with her hands encircling a hot cup of tea in the silence of her kitchen. Her attitude, which was a mix of gray and longing, was reflected in the faint light coming through the window. Her faith in God had never wavered. Her marriage, her work, and the upbringing of her three children had all been anchored by her faith. However, in recent years, it seemed as if that faith had subtly diminished to a faint murmur, overpowered by the cacophony of everyday existence. 

When she sat in church on Sundays, she became particularly aware of it. What had once seemed like spiritual awakenings had become monotonous activities, almost robotic. Her heart felt oddly heavy, and her prayers were expired prescriptions of the past. She didn't doubt God; rather, she yearned to experience His presence as strongly as she once did and to rekindle her faith back to life. But, how? 

The Lenten season came as a welcome invitation and possible solution. Maria was not Catholic or Protestant and had never participated in it, so she was not sure what to think.  Then, she researched like most women do!

Lent is the 40 days leading up to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  A typical theme used in Christian churches around the world is how we are dust.  This comes from the verse in Genesis 3:19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken, for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

You may have also heard about people giving something up for Lent, like chocolate or other type of indulgence.  Without the Biblical backing of giving up a bad thing, it can just sound like a type of new years resolution done in March and April.  By observing Lent, we are acknowledging that we are nothing without Christ.  Instead of wearing sackcloth and ashes for 40 days to atone and repent, we just do the one-time ash on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday.  Fasting can also be a part of observing Lent - by not giving the body the food it wants during the day, it leaves room for us to reflect on who is our true Provider.  Fasting is not for everyone though!  This is where the “giving up chocolate” comes into play without having to restrict too much in one’s diet.

But there is something more to this than fasting and ashes.  The core of Lent is that when something is removed from your life, it makes more room for Jesus to come in.  This can be adding a daily devotional when you were not doing one before, doing a Bible study, switching from junk tv to Christian themed shows and movies, volutneering to help your community, or spending more time in prayer.  Without adding Jesus back in after you have made space, there is no point to observing Lent with ashes and restricting chocolate.

Lent is a beautiful time to renew your relationship with Christ and be in connection with His journey to the Cross.  And it is an especially special time in the year when there is a huge community of believers doing the same thing with you through apps like Hallow, the YouVersion Bible, and many others.

We will check back in with Maria weekly as she journeys through the next 40 days!