Lint Traps

Are you gathering lint in your life?  We've all seen lint accumulation in our dryers (or those we utilize) in the Western world.  Our minds, homes, bodies, schedules, vehicles...they get bogged down and overloaded so quickly we don't notice until it's "snowballed" seemingly out of control.  It's like a lint trap that hasn't been cleansed.  

The Lenten Season begins Wednesday, 6 March this year, and officially ends Easter Weekend.  If one does the quick math, it's more than forty days this year, as Sundays in Western practice are feast days - so what does that mean anyway?  Throughout the Bible, there are feasts and fasts - times of celebrating with special meals, and times of dedicated attention to prayer at the expense of food, drink, luxury items, etc.  In recent years, people have observed the fast of Lent with social media, soda pop, chocolate, coffee (a scary proposition), and other items or activities.

At a very basic sense, Lent observation can help us clear out the lint we've picked up in our lives and return our priority to the lordship of Christ, thanking Him for the liberty He provides.  Simply "doing without" something misses the point - it's a shift in mindset applied in the practical world that demonstrates gratitude and humility.  We empty ourselves of some "good" thing and fill ourselves with godly things like prayer, giving, and care for others.

Jesus fasted on a regular basis; 

and the forty-day fast in the wilderness 

is recorded in Matthew 4 and Luke 4.

Isn't Lent just for Catholics?  No.  I'm not Catholic, but I'm a Christ-follower; and Christ's gift of His own life for mine, His forty-day-fast and the other days of His sin-free life, and every day I live knowing His Holy Spirit dwells within and liberates me from sin-bondage...  my healing...  my peace...  my adoption into the family of God...  it all comes from Jesus.  The very fact He chose to set the feet He knew would eventually be nailed to a cross on the soil of Earth is a mighty act of grace and selflessness.  Lent is for believers - any and all believers.

Jotting with Johnna

Consider the lint in your life:  what is clinging or clingy in your daily life that you could "fast" from for these few weeks of Lent?  How might you set aside a bit of time for prayer, giving, service to others, or other Christ-honoring loving acts as a "living sacrifice" and as such follow Christ (Romans 12:1-2)?  If you have trouble with these simple paragraphs, what might be happening in your spirit to elicit resistance (pride, fear, unwillingness to release something)?

This lint-post Pre Lent is sticky, and some may find themselves conflicted or convicted to examine themselves; and I pray that's the case.  Imagine if everyone - regardless of denomination or other faction - would set aside the precious time to invest in Lenten devotion this year!  Jesus taught us how to go about a fast that honors God, cheerfully taking care of ourselves and not mourning that which we are laying aside for a time:  "...and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matthew 6:16-18).   

Remember:  you are so very worthy of love and a lint-free lifestyle - one in which you cast aside anything that hinders you so you can move forward in a life that honors God.

Stay tuned.  Stay focused.  Stay well.