The Lenten fast

In Matthew 4, Jesus fasts in the wilderness for 40 days. He is tested and tried by Satan as preparation for his ministry.

As Christians, we should understand that God has to test, try and even purge us before we can be used for his glory.

This is what Lent is all about. Though many consider Lent a Catholic practice, the fact is that this season is important for all Christians. On the one hand, we are showing that we recognize the pain that Jesus experienced in order to minister to our needs. On the other, we come to realize that there are things of which we need to repent and things we must remove from our lives so that we may grow closer to God.

Traditionally, people give up a meal or meat or chocolate for Lent. I decided to give up Facebook.

I gave it up because it was taking up too much of my time. I would often find myself typing “Facebook” in the URL box without even realizing it, and I decided that this dependency was a bad habit I needed to break.

I debated for a long time whether or not I should even try, because I didn’t think I had the will-power to fight against the urge to visit the Web site.

This is often the biggest reason why people don’t participate in the Lenten fast. They are scared they won’t be able to go without something they consider paramount to their existence.

What a lot of us forget is that God meets us half way. If we sincerely want to give up something in an effort to draw closer to God, He will help.

That doesn’t mean it won’t be hard, but a part of the process is putting complete trust in the fact that when we seek God in earnest, He will help us.

Easter Sunday marks the end of Lent. It is a day of celebration for two reasons.

First, after the period of Lent is over, those who participated in a fast realize they are victorious over their temptations because Christ was a part of the process.

Second, we celebrate because Christ came, died and rose again to show us that he is humanity’s redeemer.

There is nothing in this world that can compare to that sacrifice. Not even Facebook.