Lent is a time of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. It is a time to prepare for the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus. Sometime we lose sight of what Lent is all about and this can lead to losing focus on what we should do during Lent.
Lent is a time for making sacrifices, both physical and mental. According to the NET team member, Sarah Sheehan, it is important to make little sacrifices. Giving up little things that take up our time and aren’t important can lead to having more time to spend in prayer.
“Sacrificing the little things may not seem like a lot but they can make the biggest difference because they can be the hardest to stop doing,” said Sheehan, “things like giving up Pinterest and other things you usually do, are very rewarding. It is also important to make it a priority to pray more.”
Things like; taking cold showers, sleeping without a pillow, or less time spent on a device, are all good sacrifices.
“I gave up taking warm showers one year,” said Net Team member Corey Baumgartner, “at the end of Lent I actually begin to enjoy taking cold showers.
Lent is also a time to focus on Jesus’ love for us and what it means to love deeply ourselves. Going to the different services provided at Church throughout Lent and during Holy week can help give a better understanding of what Jesus went through. “It’s important focus on and try to understand how deeply Jesus loves us,” said Baumgartner, “a good way to do this is to go to the Stations of the Cross because it’s literally walking through what Jesus went through.”
Sacrificing during Lent is hard but it is very rewarding and can lead to a better and closer relationship with God. “It can be really scary,” said Sheehan, “but if you think about it like an athlete and consider it as a really hard work out, then you can imagine how good it will feel.”