We’re more than halfway through the season known as Lent. In many churches, Lent is observed as a forty day period of prayer and introspection leading to Easter. It’s also a traditional time of fasting, when some Christians give up a favorite food or activity in an on-going act of self-denial.

Of course, the days leading up to Easter are as good a time as any to spend examining ourselves and to make changes that will help shift our focus from the temporal to the eternal.

But along with giving up something, what if we give out something? A conversation with a friend started me thinking about this (thanks, Penni!). What if we used these weeks to do something for the Lord – something outside our comfort zone? What if we planned an activity with our family to help another family, or volunteered with an organization helping those less fortunate than us?

The activity of giving out will also involve giving up – we’d be giving up time or resources that would have been spent in other ways. But we’d also be giving of ourselves in ways that might point others to the One whose death and resurrection we’ll be celebrating in just a few weeks.

With two more weeks to go, will you give up something for Lent or will you give out something for Lent?

Share your thoughts…