How To Talk To Your Kids About Lent

Yesterday on Twitter I saw that one of my high school friends (14 yr. old) had written: "I wish I would have given up something for Lent."


I replied, "It's not too late man. You still have 40 of 46 days. DM me if u want any suggestions." (DM=Direct Message on Twitter)


He wrote back and we moved the conversation to facebook.  I've copied and pasted the message below. Hope it could be helpful to you in talking to your child.  -Drew
.............
Mark,


I'm excited about you wanting to do Lent. I didn't ever practice Lent until I was in college, always thought it was just a Catholic thing. But then I realized it's an ancient tradition for all Christians. It's a worthwhile experience I wish I would've started in high school or earlier. 


The reason we call it 'Lent' is because it comes from the English word Lenten (lengthen), referring to the season of the lengthening of the days, the season of Spring. 


At the junior guys bible study the other night we discussed the concept of Lent through the metaphor of athletic training. In order for an athlete to excel, they must prepare. When you watch an Olympian break a record, you know they didn't just walk out there and get lucky. Their performance happened because of years of repetitive behavior.


Lent also involves preparation. Prepping our hearts to grasp:
-the power of the cross over our sin (Good Friday, the day Jesus died on the cross)
-the hope we can have in a God who is more powerful than even death (Easter Sunday)


One way we can prepare is the same way athletes prepare, with repetitive behavior. We can set our mind to do almost anything for 40 days.


Here are a few suggestions I threw out to our Jr. guys group of things to do for Lent, things that prepare our hearts to encounter Jesus in a fresh way. 


A nightly time of written honest confession. 
Do it in a password protected document on your laptop or phone, or in a hidden journal. Three sections of specific confession each night (based on the Book of Common Prayer general confession)


"Thoughts" - God, I confess I had these thoughts today that I know weren't pleasing to you: Lust towards…, anger towards…, etc..


"Words"- God, I confess I spoke words today that I know weren't pleasing to you, words that weren't always honest, words that hurt others… (specific things you said)


"Deeds."-- od, I confess I did things today that I know weren't pleasing to you, specific examples


Giving up a bad habit that will be hard, but doable. 
Some guys in our group are giving up porn, alcohol, masturbation, sex, weed, etc... (things that should be given up anyways, but hopefully Lent will be a catalyst to some better life habits following these 40 days.)


Giving up a comfort that will be hard, but doable. 
Some guys are giving up things that aren't necessarily "bad", but things they consistently run to for pleasure instead of God. Ex: desserts, fast food, soda, Netflix, iPhone games, video games, Twitter, etc..


Taking on a new habit replacing an old one. 
Instead of playing iPhone games or reading Twitter before bed, reading a chapter of the Bible on theYouVersion app on their phone.


I recently read this about Lent that was helpful to me. It was written by some guy named Dr. Chuck DeGroat. "Lent...is an intentional season...where we’re challenged to arrange our lives in such a way as to be daily frustrated. As people addicted to comfort and convenience, we’re often unaware of how we live to feel good about ourselves, to gain a bit of affirmation, to exert influence, to maximize our own pleasure, to satisfy our immediate needs. Lent invites us to intentionally frustrate ourselves, to engage in a season of deprivation, which actually makes us more aware of the depth of our dependence on any number of things – a substance, our reputation, control, achievement, being right, being comfortable, being secure. Depending on things other than God for pleasure and happiness."


Here's another helpful quote is by an author I respect a lot named Dallas Williard: "If you want to keep all of Jesus' commands, don't just try to do it, but become the kind of person who would routinely do what Jesus said."


So how do we become that kind of person?  By practicing spiritual disciplines, like giving something up or taking something on during Lent.


Maybe a good prayer to start with would even be the lyrics from the Foo Fighters song 'Walk'


A million miles away
Your signal in the distance
To whom it may concern
I think I lost my way
Getting good at starting over
Every time that I return


I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to talk again
Can't you see I've waited long enough?
Where do I begin?


Mark, Just pray and ask God where you should begin. Say, "God, what do You want me to do for Lent?" He listens and answers and will nudge you in the right direction.


One thing I'd encourage you to do is to not tell anyone (other than me if you want) what you're giving up for Lent. It's a thing that is between you and God and when you make it public, it loses some of that personal and private connection between you and God. Make sense?


Praying for you bro. Thankful for your desire to know God more. Let me know if you have any other questions. Sorry I wrote a book.


Drew