Written by Jenissa Gonzalez, AJM Missionary
Church traditions and spiritual disciplines have never been a big part of my faith journey.
I never really had examples of what it looked like to live a disciplined life for Jesus. I always thought that if I simply prayed for discipline, I would magically have it, instead of acknowledging the need to do my part and put in the work. Although I have surrendered my life to the Lord, there are still many comforts and habits that I run to. Even if they are not inherently “bad”, they still pull my attention away from the Lord and onto myself.
As the season of Lent approached, I felt a new desire to participate and learn about this practice. I acknowledged that I don’t often humble myself before the Lord, and the verse in Genesis “…for dust you are and to dust you will return” was exactly what my soul needed to remember that this life I live is not my own. For this reason, I chose to disable my Instagram account for this season, which probably seems silly to some people. However, I found myself using that platform for validation from people and a way to avoid my responsibilities by doom scrolling. In the past 20 days of Lent, I have found it freeing not to always be thinking about what I should post next or worrying about how many likes I get on a post. Although there have been things I want to share, I am much more present with the people around me and am not merely thinking about what will look aesthetic on my feed. The Lord is reminding me of the freedom that He offers and teaching me how to root my identity in Him and not in what others think of me. As a result, I am more focused on who and what the Lord has placed in my life.
With Easter soon approaching, I encourage you to reflect and ask the Lord to reveal things to you. Whether that means giving up a physical thing or simply humbling yourself before God in a new way. Even if you have not participated in lent yet, there is no time limit on when you can surrender something to the Lord. He is ready and waiting. May the remaining season of lent be a time of focus, renewal, and remembrance.
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