Christians know (hopefully) that Jesus voluntarily spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness and faced staggering temptations and levels of physical and spiritual deprivation in ways we will never know. Some Christians know that Lent is a period of 40 days and nights that we can use to look at how we respond to temptations and where we have created spiritual deprivation for ourselves.
We live in a different kind of wilderness ~ a spiritual desert, a world of glittering excess and cultural demand, where life without the largest tv, best cable sports package, latest electronic gadget, or biggest walk-in closet is what we think would make life complete. In the midst of our everyday busy-ness, Fasting may mean more about fast-food than spiritual discipline. And while giving up sugary soda or cigarettes is a start for a healthier physical life, let's fast from more than just food or addictive substances, let us voluntarily give up and take on something new each day of this Lenten season, dedicate those acts to God for the benefit of our spiritual life and pray that, by the end, our spirits soar with the Christ who will rise and we, too, become a new creation.
Holy God, in this second day of Lent, I will give up complaining about the weather and take on a donation to a worthy charity who gives gloves, hats, coats, blankets, or other items to those who are cold, hungry, and homeless in body or mind. I pray for my own strength of spirit to avoid consumer distractions and discover the blessings of less stuff to care for and more time to spend with You. amen.
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