Motivation Matters
Day 4
Four Days In
So, you’re four days into your Lenten fast, if you decided to observe this aspect of Lent. How is it going so far? Is your stomach aching and actually growling so loud that it is interrupting meetings at work? Did you wake up this morning and think, “I can’t do this! It’s only been three days, but I’m already way past hangry!” If so, you are in good company! And really, that is the whole point of the Lenten fast - to come to terms with your frailty as a human, to acknowledge that you can’t do this on your own.
Experiencing true hunger and thirst, really abstaining from anything that we are dependent on, magnifies our heart’s motivation. This is why Jesus told his disciples in his famous Sermon on the Mount, “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 5:16-18)
If you have ever worked with a personal trainer or even a physical therapist, you know that at the first meeting you go over your history - any injuries, habits, etc. - that have caused you to need to work with a professional. Next, you talk about and set goals for your time together. Maybe you want to be able to lift certain amounts of weight, or are training for an athletic competition. Maybe you’re about to get married and want to look a certain way on your honeymoon. Often the trainer/therapist creates a plan for you to reach your goals, and generally speaking, because you are paying them a significant amount of money, you are highly motivated to follow their plan, even when that plan involves giving up something you love. Our desires inform our behavior.
If we are observing a Lenten fast for any other reason than to follow Jesus in His sufferings, we will quickly give up. The goal for these next weeks cannot be to lose weight in a godly-looking way. It cannot be used as penance, to absolve ourselves from a sin that we have allowed to have a stronghold over us. Motivation matters.
Half-Full or Half-Empty?
Would you consider yourself a “Glass Half-Full'' or “Glass Half-Empty” person? Do you tend towards idealism or realism? Grace or Law? Mercy or Justice? Black and White or Shades of Gray? The position from which you view and interpret the gospel and the world will absolutely affect the way you approach observing Lent. We will lean more towards (1) needing to observe our fast commitment perfectly or (2) regarding it as legalistic garbage that Jesus set us free from, throwing the entire exercise (including this devotional) in the trash can.
Christ’s Example
Whether you are a purist and following your Lenten fast to the smallest detail or are looking for every loophole you can find to have that ____________ (you fill in the blank) in the middle of the afternoon, I want to encourage you that this is exactly what you are supposed to be feeling and experiencing. This is how we begin to identify with our Lord in his sufferings.
Because it is hard to abstain and go without, it is important for us to reflect on our Lord and Savior’s example, from Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, who, “existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8, CSB))
Big Picture Question for Today:
Honestly check your motivation for fasting. How have your desires informed your behavior?
Pray, first confessing any sin that these first days of fasting have magnified for you. Next, ask God, through His Spirit, to strengthen you by His power and feast on His true and good Word.
Blessings,
Gay B Brown