Seize the season

These days Lent seems to have become about what you give up for the forty days before Easter. People give up chocolate, watching TV, or some other 'vice'. It is undeniably good to learn the discipline of giving up things we desire, the discipline of sacrifice, but it strikes me that it is what we replace those things with that is more important.

According to wikipedia, "the three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent" are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is worth noting that they are to be practised with 'renewed vigour', implying that we already do all three regularly. It is also worth noting that they are all things to be done, they are activities to participate in.

So, when you are deciding what to do for Lent this year, remember it's about more than what you choose not to do.

Seize the season!

I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Philippians 3:12