Lenten Insights
Hard to believe that the winter is almost behind us, spring is almost upon us and the Lenten season is here. For those who don’t know what Lent is, it begins on Ash Wednesday (this year it’s March 2), six and a half weeks prior to Easter (April 17) and it provides a time for reflection and fasting as it’s based on the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and resisting Satan’s temptations. Many people fast during this time on things that are meaningful for them such as chocolate or social media. And while I admire anyone doing this to enhance their spiritual life, I have another idea for you. Why not take these next 40 days for self-reflection and learning more about yourself?
I know it seems like we live in a world where people already spend too much time thinking of themselves and being self-absorbed. But the key to knowing God (the very God who said to “love others”) is to get to know yourself better through self-reflection. While this might seem like a modern idea, it isn’t. The bible actually has a lot to say about getting to know one’s own heart and thoughts. John Calvin, one of the great reformers about five hundred years ago, said in his great work, A Compend of the Institutes of the Christian Religion that “true wisdom consists of the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves.” And it’s true, when you decide to take a deep dive into who you really are, it can go one of two ways – you can become self-absorbed and full of even more pride or you can be humbled as you realize just how much you need God and his grace.
THE POWER OF SELF-REFLECTION
The point of taking the next 40 days to reflect is to get honest with yourself. This is a time to allow God to put His spotlight on your heart and thoughts, so you can begin to wrestle with the lies you have been believing and that have been controlling your life; and the truth that God wants to shine into your life that can set you free to really live by God’s grace and love.
THE OUTER WAR ZONE
Self-reflection done this way and for this purpose is preparation for the war zone of life that we all live in. And there really are two facets to this war zone: one is the outer war that is very visible to us. It is the sin and brokenness that we see every day in our world, on the internet, on the news and up close and personal. We are witnesses to corrupt systems, darkness, evil dictators such as Vladimir Putin and needless suffering.
THE INNER WAR ZONE
And then there is the inner facet of the war zone. This is the war we fight daily within ourselves – the fight we have with our own flesh to do the right thing (as Paul talks about in Romans 7), the battle with our emotions that they don’t overtake us, our wrong attitudes, weaknesses and the struggle to overcome our past so we don’t continue to be victims to it. This can actually be the more difficult war zone to navigate because we do things, thinks and react in ways that even we don’t understand or always have an explanation for.
In order to live in this war zone, we need to daily be in training. This type of training and preparation to face the wars of life, is done best behind the scenes in quiet times of reflection, meditating on God’s word and spending time with others reflecting and dialoging about what is going on in our lives (this might take the form of talking deeply with a good friend, a support group or with a counselor).
JESUS IN THE WILDERNESS FOR 40 DAYS
Here is a thought…did you ever stop to think that Jesus, the holy Son of God, spent 30 years and then another 40 days in the wilderness praying and fasting, for a 3-year ministry. And even during his 3-year ministry, He spent much time alone in prayer and seeking His Father’s will.
Most of the people we look up to in the bible, such as Jesus, Paul or David, spent much of their time wrestling with God, which resulted in great insights about themselves – leading to a greater understanding of who God is and what He was doing in their lives.
Martin Luther, one of the great reformers in the fifteen hundreds spent many years trying to punish and purge himself so that he could be worthy of knowing God. And through his own struggles, prayer and wrestling to know God, He came to see the truth in Romans 1:17 that changed both his own life and the direction of the church. The entire Protestant branch of the church was built upon this verse and how it changed Luther’s life and his understanding of God.
THE INVITATION OF LENT
You might not come from a church tradition that observes lent or even mentions lent. I don’t either. You might not even be a Christian. However, taking the next 40 days to reflect on who you, how you grew up, what and how you got your values, why you think and act like you do and what God wants to do with your life, will be a valuable investment of your time! It may change the direction of your life, you might gain insights you have never had before because you are intentionally taking the time to look, and it may go a long way in helping you to develop healthier relationships with others (which is a great way to “love others” as Jesus has commanded us to do).
May the Lord bless you on your Lenten journey to gain greater insights about yourself so you can know God more deeply!
Jack
