In this chapter, we discuss with tweens and teens the meaning of Lent and the implications of the season as a child of God.
Enjoy!
Day
14: What is Lent, Anyway?
Biblical
Big Idea: He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among the
wild animals, and the angels took care of him. ––Mark 1:13
Lent
is a season during the church year that comes before Easter. Lent reminds us of
the time in which Jesus went away from his disciples to go into the wilderness
to fast (not eat or drink) for forty days and forty nights while focusing on
prayer with God. Many people much smarter than me have debated exactly how
Jesus survived for forty days and forty nights without food or drink. I do not
need that level of specific understanding of what happened back then. I am
comfortable with simply having faith.
When I read this passage, my
understanding is that Jesus separated himself from the world for a long time,
denying his human needs in order to focus on his spiritual needs and his
relationship with God. During Lent, Christians (that includes me and you) are
called to be more like Jesus during this time. This is one reason that Christ Walk makes a good Lenten
discipline.
Different people have focused on
becoming more like Jesus in many different ways. Some people give things up
during Lent (sweets, bread, soda, arguing, whining, fighting) and other people
take on new habits that they feel draw them closer to God (studying the Bible,
working in a homeless shelter, doing a good deed each day, praying, walking,
running, meditating). All of these habits make ourselves more like Jesus and
thus closer to God. All of these are Christ
Walk “miles” and activities.
In the Christ Walk program, we choose to walk steps and take on different
activities that represent our relationship with God as a part of our journey. You
may do this during Lent or during some other time of the year. Anytime is a good time to be more like
Jesus. It does not only need to happen during Lent. What does need to happen is
that you need to choose habits to focus on and improve that will instill
discipline in your life that bring you closer to God.
Things
to Think About:
1. What’s
a discipline?
2. What
are some disciplines I can take on that bring me closer to God?
3. What
are some habits that I need to give up in order to get closer to God?
4. How
does it make me feel to give something up for a long period of time?
5. What
do I think was on Jesus’ mind when he was in the wilderness?
Christ Walk Kids
covers many topics related to health and spirituality: physical exercise,
nutrition, sex, drinking, drugs, praying, lying, stealing, bullying, and many
others. I did not write the book for
kids to read in a vacuum. I wrote the
book as though I were talking to my own children with the hope that it would
open up honest dialogue between my child and me. I hope you will also read the book with your
children) and go on a journey with them that helps to build a foundation of
healthy choices: mind, body, and spirit.
I think having an open dialogue about any subject with our children is
the key to understanding what is going on in their brains and their lives. This book is how I would talk to my
kids. It may not be how you would talk
to yours, so again, include yourself on their journey and share your own
thoughts and feelings on the topic. You
may be surprised at the discussion the topics generate. Be open; listen actively; and no matter what
you hear, love your child anyway.
You may not agree with everything I wrote. That's fine, just talk about those thoughts and feelings with your child and you will be building a spiritually fit relationship with your son or daughter that doesn't shy away for their spiritual and physical and mental development. It takes a tribe to raise children. We are all in it together. #christwalk.
~~Love, Anna
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