I seem to get caught out by Lent every year. Particularly the question of what (if anything) am I going to abstain from? It usually ends up being a last-minute decision, which means that I perhaps miss the opportunity to be ‘led by the spirit into the wilderness’ rather than wandering in half by accident.

Part of the challenge is that I don’t find abstaining from things especially difficult.  Dropping some small indulgence from my daily routine feels a bit of a non-event, although I do welcome the reminder to pray and invite Christ into whatever gap it creates in my day. Fasting food at this time of year makes me feel cold, tired, and a bit grumpy, but I can do it.

This year I prayed the dangerous prayer of asking God to show me what I would really find difficult to let go of? The answer hurt a bit: my key attachment isn’t to chocolate or social media, but to busyness and the comforting illusion of productivity and effectiveness that comes with it. To follow Christ into the wilderness demands a willingness to turn my back on the pressing things of apparent value that I feel compelled to do in every spare moment. Jesus gave over 10% of his first year in ministry to that wilderness time. Am I ready or even able to follow?

Most people don’t do a complete fast for lent, and I’m not planning to head off into the desert for 6 weeks just yet. But every day between now and Good Friday I intend to take 30 minutes of silence and solitude as a fast from productive activity. For some of you that probably sounds like a normal day in your journey of faith, and for others a positive luxury rather than a sacrifice. But for me it’s the wilderness road and the place of letting go.

I’ll let you know how I get on. Or maybe not (Matt 6:16-18).

(image: Lectio365)