What our Lord wants us to present to him is not goodness, nor honesty, nor endeavor, but real, solid sin; that is all he can take from us. And what does he give in exchange for our sin? Real, solid righteousness. But we must relinquish all pretense of being anything, all being worth of God's consideration. -- Oswald Chambers
A dear friend, Sara Demoiny, said, "Lent is not about doing something for God, or earning God's affection, or something to brag about on the surface but that changes nothing in the heart. Lent is a time to intentionally think about our sin, our true unworthiness of God's grace and to draw closer to Him in repentance." She summed up the purpose of Lent very well. It is a time to be reminded over and over that we are unworthy because of our sin to come before our perfect and holy God.
Lent . . .should never be morose - an annual ordeal during which we begrudgingly forgo a handful of pleasures. Instead, it ought to be approached as an opportunity. After all, it is meant to be the church's springtime, when out of the darkness of sin's winter, a repentant, empowered people emerges. (Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter)
Beyond remembering my utter sinfulness and a need for a Saviour, Lent also is a constant reminder of the full sacrifice that Christ endured in coming to the world as a man. God becoming man is no small thing. We often only remember his sacrifice in His death. We forget his continual sacrifice as He lived his life leading up to the cross. Daily He put aside His almighty powers to live the dirty, humble life of a man. The God-man started as a spec of life inside his mother. He had to be taught to walk, speak, read. He was hungry and tired. Christ, our heavenly king, lived the life that we all live. That, alone, is true sacrifice.
As I give up something for Lent, each time I miss it or wish I had it back, I am called to remember the full sacrifice of Christ--both in His life and in His death.
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