A common practice for Lent is where you give up something for 40 days and 40 nights. Lent is to be symbolic of Jesus’ 40 days and 40-night fast in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11). During Lent, many Christians fast from a myriad of things, such as watching TV, going on social media, or drinking soda drinks.
While it is not advisable to fast from food and drink as Jesus did for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert, there are many other things you can fast from. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
1. Giving Up Social Media
The number one thing to give up this year is social media. Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok take up a huge majority of our day. Be honest with yourself and tally up how much time you spend on these apps. If you’re like me, you spend way too much time.
By giving up social media during Lent, it will give you more time to spend with God, your family, your friends, and other activities you truly enjoy. Scrolling through social media can be interesting and even addicting; however, taking a 40-day fast from this practice can do wonders for a person’s mental health.
Social media is full of photoshopped models that can make us feel bad about ourselves. Even seeing people, we know on Instagram or Facebook can make us feel inferior if we are not as “successful,” “pretty,” or “popular” as they are.
No amount of likes determines your worth — only God does and He says you are His beautiful child. Giving up social media this Lent will provide you with freedom from the cyberworld and will enable you to live your life fully for the Lord.
2. Giving Up Arguing
Arguing is a second thing you can give up for Lent this year. Arguing is not good as it causes factions, pain, and distress among believers.
2 Timothy 2:23-24 tells us, “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.”
It is too common that there are arguments and disputes among believers. This should not be as God’s people must be in unity (1 Corinthians 1:10).
Instead of arguing with one another, we should listen to one another and work together. If you find yourself regularly arguing with others, arguing could be a great thing to give up for Lent. After ceasing arguing for the 40 days of Lent, you may be better at avoiding arguments in the future.
3. Giving Up Comparison
Comparison is a third idea of what you can give up for Lent this year. The comparison game is always the first and foremost on our brains because we can endlessly compare ourselves to people we see on social media, the television, or someone walking down the street.
If you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to someone else, it could be a good idea to mindfully stop comparing yourself to others during Lent. Comparing ourselves to others is very easy; however, it will take an intentional change on our part to go against the grain and rewire our neural pathways to stop comparing ourselves to others.
Forty days and 40 nights of Lent can be the perfect time to rewire our neural pathways to promote a positive self-image by stopping the comparison game. You are beautiful just the way you are, and you don’t have to change for anyone. God made you uniquely you (Psalm 139:13-16; Ephesians 2:10).
4. Giving Up Self-Hate
Self-hate is a fourth idea of what you could give up for Lent this year. Self-hate is a horrible concept that mankind has created and cultivated in modern society. For someone who struggles with self-hate, it is a very difficult, painful, and toilsome way of life.
By giving up self-hate for Lent this year, you can use those 40 days to start practicing self-love and seeing yourself as God sees you. You could pray and ask God to help you see yourself as He does. Go to God in prayer and lift up all your concerns, cares, and worries to Him (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus will help you replace your self-hate with His love, care, and compassion.
5. Giving Up Perfectionism
Perfectionism is another notion to give up this year for Lent. During college, I struggled with perfectionism. Doing homework, completing exams, and interacting on discussion boards had to be done perfectly or I would be really hard on myself.
Perfectionism is impossible because nobody is perfect — except God (Mark 10:18). Striving after perfectionism is draining, difficult, and exhausting. Giving up perfectionism and choosing to just try your best will be a great usage of the 40 days of Lent. Give yourself grace and recognize the truth that nobody can be perfect.
Every single one of us makes mistakes and falls short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Perfectionism is impossible and will only leave you feeling drained, exhausted, and anxious. Trying your best is all that you can do because your best is your best. God doesn’t expect you to be perfect — He just wants you to try your best.
Practicing Lent
Lent is the practice of giving up something for 40 days and 40 nights just as Jesus fasted from water and food for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert. The purpose of giving up something for 40 days and 40 nights is supposed to bring oneself closer to God and focus more on Him.
Oftentimes, many people fast from things that take up a majority of their time, such as social media or watching television; however, there are many things you can give up for Lent this year; but you need to make sure your heart is in the right place.
You should not give up something just to appear more “righteous” or “holy” than someone else. Rather, your heart should be in the right motive. You should want to give up something in order to grow closer to God and become more like Christ.
While Jesus fasted from food and water for 40 days, it is not recommended for us to fast from food and water. Jesus’ fast was a divine fast because He is God. If we tried to fast from food and water, we would become severely dehydrated and go into starvation mode.
Dehydration and starvation can cause extreme damages to the body, such as faintness, dizziness, blood pressure drop, slowing heart rate, hypotension, lethargy, thyroid malfunction, abdominal pain, low potassium, body temperature fluctuation, depression, heart attack, and organ failure.
It is best to abstain from fasting from food or water for 40 days like Jesus. Instead, choose something else to give up this Lent season, such as social media, arguing, comparison, self-hate, or perfectionism.
The options are endless — just make sure you choose something with the correct heart motives. Giving up anything for lent can be difficult; however, by taking each day as it comes and relying on God, He can help you achieve your goal.
God doesn’t want you to compare yourself to others, hate yourself, strive for perfectionism, argue with others, or spend all of your days on social media. He wants you to live a joyful life that brings Him glory.
God truly cares about you, and He died in order for you to have an abundant life (John 10:10). Keep this in mind when you are deciding what to give up this year for Lent.
For further reading:
How to Discourage Eating Disorders During Lent
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/FREDERICA ABAN
