This week began the Christian celebration of Lent. Lent is typically a time when people give up or abstain from something they feel controls them in a negative way. But it is more than abstaining from; it is a time of being free to do something else other than that negative thing. It is a time of reflection and seeking to fill the void with something positive and beneficial.
Many times, we hear of people giving up coffee, chocolate, or even social media, yet they forget to fill in the emptiness with something more profound and life-enhancing. Perhaps a better way is to abstain from self-centeredness and fill the void with selfless giving such as helping the poor, visiting the homebound and sick, helping the homeless, and aiding the prisoner. Lent is a good time to talk to God about how He wants us to deny ourselves and help others.
Many people will have ideas so ask them, but also spend time talking with God, seeking how He would have you help others. My prayer for us is that we will spend time in the coming weeks finding positive ways to fill the void created by our abstaining.
• Fred La Plante is the pastor at Juneau Church of the Nazarene. “Living & Growing” is a weekly column written by different authors and submitted by local clergy and spiritual leaders. It appears every Saturday on the Juneau Empire’s Faith page.
