What If I Don't Give Something Up...But Give Something Space?

Lent began last night (Feb. 18). And I’m still deciding what to give up.

Several years ago, I gave up TV.
This year I considered giving up my phone… until I realized my phone is my tickets, my calendar, my alarm, my to-do list, and occasionally even my flashlight.

It’s not that my phone is bad. It’s that it rarely lets me be still.

So maybe this Lent isn’t about eliminating my phone. Maybe it’s about creating intentional space from it.

A phone free dinner table.
No scrolling at the end of the day.
Twenty quiet minutes without notifications.

Not dramatic. Just deliberate.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” That kind of stillness does not happen by accident.

I was introduced to this idea several years ago. Lenten fasts don’t have to be solely for the sake of discipline, resisting sweets, sodas, or coffee. Instead think about it as subtraction for the sake of presence. What does my fast create, to bring me back to God? 

This year I am less interested in proving I can give something up. I am more interested in making room — real room — to remember that I am not the one holding the world together. God is.

How will you observe a holy lent? What will you subtract so that you can make room? 

I hope to see you on Sunday as we start our new sermon series ReCalculating. As we return to God this year. 

With Gratitude,

Rev. Rodney Whitfield
Senior Pastor
Aldersgate UMC