I’ve been thinking about Lent this year, which starts in a couple weeks on February 22. Growing up in an evangelical environment, I never attended a church that stressed the observance of Lent. In recent years though, I have appreciated the practice of setting aside those 40 days for a particular purpose and in preparation for the celebration of Easter. I haven’t participated every year but have spent several seasons abstaining from one attachment or another usually involving sugar!

This year my thoughts are running on a different vein. For some reason the idea of giving something up seems too easy. It feels like I would be shrinking back or disengaging. A verse from the gospel of Luke keeps coming to mind. “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face toward Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) I wonder what it would look like to set my face toward Jerusalem during the days of Lent this year.

As I ponder the idea, disciplines of engagement come to mind. What could I add to my life that would cause me to press into Jesus, to “exercise” my faith in a tangible way? I have a couple options. There is a particular project at work that I need to get done in the next few weeks. Could I use that project as a way to press into Jesus? To experience the work as an act of worship and an opportunity to daily engage in my relationship with God? The second option includes the exercise of my body. Could I take a daily walk or a dance class that would engage my body in an act of worship?

I’m not sure what I’ll do yet. I need to talk it over awhile with God before I make a final decision. But the idea of adding a consistent action rather than abstaining from one seems to fit where I am in my spiritual journey.

What about you? The season of Lent offers an opportunity to set your face toward Jerusalem in remembrance and preparation for the Passion Week. What could that look like in your life?