Letting Go for Lent

Giving something up for Lent always sounds easy.
Stay off social media. Give up chocolate. Maybe keep the wallet closed for a while. I can admit — even I’m guilty of that one. I love my coffee.

But what if it’s more than that?
What if Lent isn’t only about removing something, but about making room for something greater?

Social media isn’t what it used to be. Noise fills every corner. Arguments are constant. The Lord’s name appears less and less. And maybe that’s the point. We say we want to put God first, but if we cannot set aside a phone, a comment, or a purchase for His name, what is truly first in our lives?

So maybe we do it differently this time.

What if, instead of simply giving something up for Lent, we give forward in the name of the Lord?

Instead of leaving an argument on a political post, we leave a prayer — asking God to bless our communities and guide our leaders in His will.

Instead of the daily $7 coffee, we buy someone in need a $7 meal.
Or we give it quietly as an offering.

During our Lenten prayers, maybe we don’t ask for anything at all.
Maybe we come to Him and say:

“Lord, this is what I have done in Your name today.”

Not for recognition.
Not for reward.
But so that hearts — including our own — can find their way back home to Christ.

Isn’t this the message Jesus showed us?
To love others as He loves us.
Everything He did pointed back to the Father and poured out for others.

And this is where my own Lent begins.

I come to Him and say:

“Look, Lord. Look what I have been doing. I built something in Your name. Not for the bags, the clothes, or the treasures — but to say thank You. I am Yours. And I want the world to know I am Yours.”

This Lent, I am not only letting go.

I am giving forward.
In His name.
With my whole heart.