Denied!
“Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’” —Luke 9:23 This Wednesday is the first day in the season of Lent. These forty days between Ash Wednesday and Easter (excluding Sundays) are traditionally a time of repentance and re-commitment in preparation for the joy of Easter Sunday. For centuries, Lent has been a time to begin, or re-begin the practice of denying oneself daily to better become a disciple of Jesus. Lately, however, it seems to be a misunderstood practice often equated with New Years resolutions. The practice of giving something up for the forty days of Lent is not about “self-betterment” but rather, “self-denial.” It is derived from the Biblical example of the forty day fast. Moses, Elijah, and Jesus all had a time when they fasted forty days in order to draw nearer to God. For Moses it was before he received the Law, for Elijah before he heard the still small voice, and for