Lent starts on Wednesday. It’s never been a big deal to me. To be honest I was smug about it; all these people giving up chocolate seemed, well, shallow.
But a few years ago I read about the history of Lent and was impressed by the depth of the tradition. Lent could be summed up as a time to focus on three things:
- Prayer to focus on our need for God’s mercy and forgiveness.
- Fasting, or giving something up, to prompt reflection on God.
- Giving as a way to respond to God’s love.
The last one is what caught my attention. I did not know that so much of Lent is built around giving.
Since readers of this blog are incredibly smart (and good looking, and morally superior, and really the world would be a better place if you all just ran the place), then you probably know all of this.
And you’re probably wondering what this is leading to.
Well, my goal for Lent is to help Alexandria get through a year of school. She is what some call an “at risk” child living in a tough place. But her heart, and her potential, are huge.
During Lent I’m going to give up something — I won’t bore you with the details but feel free to ask me if you care. The money saved will then go to Alexandria. Plus I’m going to pray for her. Thus all three Lent traditions — prayer, fasting, giving — come together to help Alexandria.
Join me?
PathLight set up a page specifically for folks who read the devotions. And on that page there is a brief profile about Alexandria and an invitation to help her get through school.
So even if you can’t help financially, maybe you could pray for Alexandria, and also pray for this campaign. I would love to see Alexandria swamped with love, support, prayer, and encouragement. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
Here’s the link. Thanks for checking it out, and I hope you can help make this happen!