How and Why The Joneses Participate in Lent
Over the last 6 years I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know The Joneses (Bethany, Nate, Hannah, Abby, Meredith, and Lily). They are such a blessing to our family. If you don’t know them yet - you should!
One great thing about this family is how intentional they are to celebrate events on the Church calendar, like Lent.
This year Lent starts on February 22 and ends on April 6. As we enter into this season, I thought it would be helpful to see how one family participates in Lent - and why.
So, I asked Bethany a few questions. Here’s what she said:
How long have you been participating in Lent?
That’s a good question! Nate and I did a Daniel Fast one year for Lent, but that was the only time we really intentionally chose to give up something for Lent before we had kids. We’ve participated in Lent regularly for the last 9 years or so.
Why do you think participating in Lent is important as a Christian?
Lent is the season right before Easter. Throughout history the Church has participated together in this season of fasting. As a Christian, I think it’s important to participate in Lent because it’s a way for me to partake in the sufferings of Christ. I give up something for the purpose of drawing nearer to Christ. When I make an intentional choice to be weak in an area, Jesus ministers to me in unique ways. It is also sweet to participate in Lent with others so you can encourage each other! When I have fasted from something for Lent, when I get to Easter, the power of the Resurrection comes with such a strong force because I have died to myself over and over. If I’m willing to let the Lord expose my heart and draw me nearer, it creates a new level of intimacy with my Savior.
Why did you start celebrating Lent with your kids?
When the Lord blessed us with kids, we started thinking and praying about what rhythms and traditions we wanted to prioritize as a family. That led me to think about the home I grew up in, and I realized there was a lot of focus on the Advent season. We spent intentional time every year preparing our hearts to celebrate Christ’s first arrival at Christmas and also His second coming. However, I also saw that other than Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, we didn’t do much to allow the Lord to prepare our hearts for Easter. The Lord gently led me to see the beauty and the gift that Lent is, and so we started participating in Lent as a family.
“We know the Lord has asked our family to participate in Lent as a way to prepare our hearts for Easter.”
What resources have you used to participate in Lent?
It looks different every year. Sometimes we all choose to fast from the same thing, and other years, we’ll each choose our own thing to fast from. Sometimes the Lord is clear about what He wants us to fast from and sometimes we look up ideas on the internet.
We also spend the two weeks before Easter going through a specific Easter devotional. (It’s free and you can find it here!) We’ve adjusted it over the years and will continue to do so as our kids grow, but it has been a precious tradition for our family.
How have your kids reacted to participating in Lent?
Since we started this when our kids were quite young, it’s just what we do. It’s part of “who we are” so to speak. There are always conversations around the “why"… what is our “why” for doing this… but we know the Lord has asked our family to participate in Lent as a way to prepare our hearts for Easter. Some years we feel like obeying and others we don’t, but each year we ask the Lord to help us be obedient, and we ask Him to use these rhythms and traditions to change our hearts and make us more like Christ.
Lent starts in just a few days (February 22). Would you consider how your family might participate in this time to “partake in the sufferings of Christ” and prepare your hearts for Easter Sunday?
Lyndsay is the Women’s Ministry Deacon at Redeemer. She has been married to Stanley for 7 years and they have two kiddos - a wild, bull-in-a-china-shop five-year-old (Ezra) and a sweet and salty two-year old (Zoe).