Every year we experience different holidays and seasons, and there are also seasons in the Christian calendar we recognize like Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Each season and each holiday reminds us of something different and teaches us along the way. As Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.
This season of Lent is the 40 days before Easter when we prepare and get ready for Easter. Lent is a more solemn season, a time of reflecting and fasting before the great celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Maybe you have fasted or given something up during the season of Lent. These sacrifices help us to focus on our relationship with God and to reflect upon the sacrifice that Christ made for us. There is a time for everything: and a time to give up something can be an important part of our faith journey.
Bob Goff is an inspirational speaker and author. In his book and study, Love Does, he talks about his practice of quitting something every Thursday, about how this can be anything from quitting habits, attitudes, or behaviors. It might be quitting something that frees up more time or space in our lives. Bob says, “We can’t change much if we don’t quit much.” The practice of fasting and giving up during Lent fits right into this thought – it can bring change when we’re willing to quit something. So maybe during this season of Lent, if you haven’t chosen a daily fasting discipline, you could choose to quit something every Thursday over the next several weeks.
But Bob Goff knows the importance of quitting the right stuff. And he is the kind of person who is all about adventure and whimsy. He would encourage the importance of trying something new. That’s what life is all about – a balance of starting and ending, holding on and letting go. Seasons help us to experience these times and changes. And no matter what season of life we are in – maybe a time of new beginnings, a time of quitting, or letting something go – God is with us.
Amy Givens, Director of Youth Ministry & Discipleship
