Lent is not a ritual — it’s a reset for our Christian walk

Unfortunately, many people today see Lent as one of those meaningless rituals. It’s just another religious thing to add to our already overwhelming to-do lists. But that’s not what Lent was supposed to be.

I have had countless conversations with people who are interested in following Jesus, but they see Christianity as an unbearable list of rules full of countless dos and don’ts. It has been that way too many times in the past, dating back to when Jesus was on earth.

He repeatedly criticized the religious leaders of the day for making faith a ridiculous set of commands and regulations that missed what God really wants from people: To love Him and love their neighbors. That’s why Jesus says His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

It was in direct contrast to the “heavy burdens” that the Pharisees and religious people placed on others. Things like limits on how many steps people could take on Sabbath, prohibiting healings and other good works on Sabbath, and rote ceremonial washing rituals.

But Lent, instead of a boring, dull annoyance to get through so we can celebrate Easter Sunday, is a purposeful practice that allows Christians to shine Christ’s light in uniquely compelling ways.

Lent is not a ritual — it is a reset.

Historically, Lent is modeled after Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness and serves as a 40-day journey for believers to follow. It is a sacred time allowing for personal reflection, repentance, fasting, and prayer. Lent cannot be minimized to religious optics but rather realigning our hearts with Heaven. Lent should propel us to internal transformation.

This season always reminds me of Peter’s teaching to Christians: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). Lent reminds us to do that in tangible, physical ways. It encourages us to be bold in our interactions and courageous in our witness.

Today’s world is addicted to noise and a constant stream of online connections. Lent invites us to slow down and step into holy silence. Our culture is driven so much by consumption; Lent calls us to holy restraint. Lent whispers humility to a society obsessed with prominence and recognition.

It’s also a season where we should intentionally create space to spend more time with God. If you look at the life and ministry of Jesus, you see that He often went off by Himself to pray and be with God. But there’s something important to notice: He consistently did this in the midst of the busyness of life.

He didn’t wait for things to calm down or for His schedule to clear. He made a choice and prioritized what He knew was really most important. How often do we do the same? It seems to me that the things that most often go when life gets hectic are our times with God and other believers.

We see these things as expendable when they’re actually essential. They connect us to God and others — our primary sources of strength, accountability, and community. It’s very hard to be an effective ambassador for Christ when we aren’t prioritizing Him or His people.

When we fast, we are not trying to impress God. We are training ourselves for battle. Fasting serves as a reminder that our flesh does not rule us. We are declaring that our hunger for righteousness must outweigh our hunger for everything else. Fasting creates margin. Prayer fills that margin. Generosity extends that margin to others.

Lent realigns our loves.

Lent should be a reminder to us of just how crucial those things are. Just look at Jesus as He went through His final days before the cross. He spent time with God and others. From our Western point of view, it can be easy to wonder why He didn’t spend that time doing things for God. It seems like there were more healings to do, more people to reach with the Good News.

But Jesus had His priorities straight. He knew that without communion with God and others, what He had to do would be more difficult than it already was. So, He leaned in and leaned on. He was honest with God and others. And that empowered Him to walk confidently forward, even through immense suffering.

It calls us to examine our motives, confess our sins, extend forgiveness, and pursue reconciliation. It invites us to reorder our priorities so that Christ remains at the forefront of all we do.

We are called to the same witness. And we would do well to follow Christ’s example and journey through this season of Lent with others, always on the lookout for what God might be wanting to do in and through us, for His glory and the good of the world.

Because when the Church is reset, the world cannot ignore its witness.