Path to Renewing Faith - Part 1

As we start this 2025 Lenton 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!

Renewing Faith part 2

Maria made the decision to set three straightforward objectives: reducing distractions, strengthening her prayer life, and performing deeds of kindness. She prayed that the framework would help her return to the sacred and perhaps even help her reestablish her relationship with God. 

She began with tiny steps toward her first objective, which was to abstain from distractions. She made the decision to set aside fifteen minutes each night to sit quietly, away from her phone, her to-do lists, and even the noise of her family. Her mind was racing with reminders and anxieties during the first few sleepless nights. But gradually, the silence started to seem comforting. She began to feel hints of calm in the silence that she hadn't experienced in years. 

Maria decided that instead of scrolling through the headlines every morning, she would begin with prayer as her second goal. Every day, she prayed over each item on her list of blessings. It was uncomfortable at first, like learning a foreign language all over again. But in a matter of weeks, the practice became second nature to her, and gratitude filled her heart to overflowing. 

Acts of kindness, her third objective, turned out to be the most influential. Maria offered to bring meals to her community's senior citizens. She sat with a woman named Ethel one winter afternoon, and Maria was profoundly moved by her tales of faith and tenacity. Maria's eyes began to flood up with tears as they prayed together. Their meeting seems to have been woven by God as a reminder that faith is about serving others just as much as it is about seeking Him.

By the end of Lent, Maria became aware of a slight yet significant change in herself. Her spirituality seemed alive and no longer like a habit. Her prayers were dialogues rather than merely statements. She came to see that establishing those three objectives required intention as much as discipline. Her pursuit of them has caused her to become more receptive to God than she had been for years. 

As Maria sat in church on Easter morning, the light coming through the stained glass looked brighter than before. She experienced for the first time in years not just the presence of God but also the delight of having a close relationship with him. Although it hadn't been simple, the journey to reaffirm her faith had been lovely.