Lent

Those who are closest to me know that every year, I participate in the Christian observance of Lent. This is a time of prayer, repentance and self-denial. It lasts for 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. I first heard of Lent it was in a movie (Chocolat, staring Johnny Depp – worth the rental) and I thought, “Hmmm… looks hard, I wonder if I could do that.”

So the first year, I gave up diet coke. Lasted about 5 days before I gave up. The second year, I did give up diet coke for the entire 40 days but after the withdrawals that consisted of shaking, headaches and cold sweats, it was out of my system and I didn’t even crave it anymore. Then last year, I gave up all processed sugar. No candy, cakes, cookies, anything dessert like. It was really hard because I worked in an office where that stuff was everywhere! It was really hard but also really cool. I was constantly tempted to give in, which means I was constantly reminded why I wasn’t. . . I started to really think about what Lent meant to Christians.

According to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Christ spent 40 days in the desert FASTING before the beginning of his public ministry. There in the dessert, according to the Christian faith, he was tempted by Satan. Which was true but also, we know from the Joseph Smith Translation that he went into the dessert “to be with God” (Matthew 4:1) I believe that Jesus went into the wilderness to fast and be counseled by his Father what he was about to endure in the coming weeks. At that point, I realized that Lent meant so much more to me than I thought. I took that time to really reflect on what the Savior went through those 40 days before his ministry and the ultimate sacrifice of the Atonement, persecution, his crucifixion and of course his Resurrection on that Easter morning.

Christ spent those 40 days in the dessert to help him receive strength to endure the offering of his Atoning sacrifice for us. I took it that these 40 days as a chance for me to pray, repent, and fast to help prepare me to ACCEPT the Atonement in my life. Now, I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I do take the sacrament every week, and I fast on fast Sundays. But I want to do something extra this holy month. I feel it brings me even closer to the Savior during this month we reflect on his life, ministry and the sacrifice. I encourage the rest of you to try some aspects of the faith of our brothers and sisters in other religions to strengthen your testimony of the love our Savior, Jesus Christ has for ALL his children. . .

Maybe someday, I will be brave enough to try Ramadan. . . =)