Living Lent Intentionally

Over the weekend as I was sitting in adoration, one question that kept coming to mind during prayer was, “Jesus, how can I enter into the desert with you this Lent?”  With the arrival of the season of Lent, maybe you too are praying about and reflecting on this question.  This year more than ever, I want to be more intentional about how I live these 40 days.  I want to listen to how Jesus is calling me to be more disciplined and faithful.

Thinking about the desert, the first images that come to mind are of a barren, dry, desolate landscape where there are not many living things.  The desert is so different from the environment we live in.  And maybe that is one of the reasons why it is so important for us to follow Jesus into this space.  To enter into the desert is to enter into a different way of living.  It is to strip our lives of the worldly pleasures that are distracting us and to detach ourselves from the comforts that keep us from growing closer to Christ.  It is to change our routines and habits in order to experience a real conversion of heart.  This penitential season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving asks us to make small sacrifices and practice self-discipline. 

What things in our lives are preventing us from growing in our relationship with Jesus?  What areas of our lives are dead because of sin and need to be brought back to life?  What parts of our faith are dry and need to be watered and replenished?  It is the dryness and emptiness of this spiritual desert where we rediscover our thirst for God and recognize that He alone can satisfy us in the hunger we have.

So how do we actually enter into the desert in a way that will bear fruit in our spiritual lives and help us to properly prepare to celebrate the resurrection at Easter?  How do we pray and reflect in a way that will allow us to experience conversion and be transformed?  It will likely look a little different for each of us. 
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No matter what your Lenten plans are or how you hope to grow spiritually, remember that everything Jesus experienced throughout the 40 days in the desert was out of a deep love for you.  How will you respond to that love this season?  Will you enter into the desert to walk with Jesus?  May you have a blessed and fruitful Lent that helps you to become more like Him.