The Personal Growth Journey: Embracing Discomfort in Lent

Lent has been tough in a good way this year.

If you’re not familiar with Lent, it kicks off with Ash Wednesday, lasts 40 days, excluding Sundays, and concludes on Easter. The dates for this observance are a moving target every year because you begin with finding the date of Easter, which changes yearly.

Here’s the formula to find Easter: the first Sunday after the full moon, after the Spring Equinox. Once you find the date for Easter, count back 40 days for Lent, plus 6 Sundays, and you have the date for Ash Wednesday. I feel like I’ve just unveiled the secrets to the Holy Grail!

One of my working and study spaces. I love sticky notes :))

The fulfillment in discovering Lent is an intentional spiritual growth experience. This year, as I planned how to observe during Lent, I wanted to focus on prayer, fasting, and giving. Prayer to connect with God, fasting to create boundaries and limits for food, which is not particularly thrilling but conditions me to face real-life hardships dependent upon God, and giving away what was in my possession that I am not using yet valuable to others. 

These practices of sacrifice and reflection have led me on an unexpected personal growth journey. The early weeks of Lent were rough, and adapting to my new disciplines was not natural. When I thought I had the hang of my Lenten disciplines, I was confronted with deep issues in my life and family that needed attention and guidance from the Lord. In that deep ache, I wanted to set my Lenten practices aside for a smoother season. The Spirit seemed to reveal that my Lenten practices were not misplaced as I remembered the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10:  "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 

One of the most significant lessons I am learning is that discomfort is a catalyst for growth. I am being pushed to explore my limits and discover new strengths. The vulnerability I gained from embracing these challenges has allowed me to cultivate deeper, meaningful relationships.

I am also finding joy in the small victories along the way. Each time I faced discomfort and emerged on the other side, I felt more equipped and resilient. The journey wasn’t easy, but it encouraged me to reflect deeply and appreciate the layers of my life that I had not noticed.

How is the Lenten journey going for you? I would love to hear about your journey. Every path is different. If you are still considering Lent, it is not over until Easter. You can join the pilgrimage anytime, especially during Holy Week before Easter. We can cultivate a richer, more fulfilling way of living when we embrace discomfort. As we continue on this Lenten path together, may we all find the strength to face our challenges and emerge transformed.