Lent's Invitation to Let Go and Look to Jesus
Thoughts on Fasting in the Season of Lent
The following essay is the first reflection for our March focus on the spiritual practice of Fasting. Read more here about our exploration of the spiritual disciplines in 2025 through creative and reflective writing.
By Jen Ludwig
Lent is known as a season of prayer, charity, and fasting. For many years, Christians have chosen to fast from something in the 40 days before Easter as a means of focusing their attention on God.
Personally, there have been years that I have fasted from some sort of food, like coffee, treats, or a meal. But just as often, I have given up something else that has come to take up too much space in my life.
So, with Ash Wednesday approaching on March 5th, I am once again looking to God and asking Him, “What are You calling me to let go of in this season?”
This year, in particular, instead of just choosing something to surrender, I’ve been considering… What is God inviting me to embrace during Lent?
If our goal in fasting is to better understand Jesus and His suffering, hear Him speak to us more clearly, or simply draw closer to God, giving something up is not enough. We also have the opportunity to allow the subsequent prompting of hunger, longing, or regained time to point us back to Him.
This Lenten season, I’ve decided to cut back on social media. While I do not spend much time on these platforms, I use them as little mindless “breaks” throughout my day as I move from one writing project to another. However, I find that (more often than I would like to admit) a short break leads down a rabbit hole that takes me much further off-course than planned.
While fasting from social media will help me avoid an unproductive distraction, how does it help me focus on whatever else God has for me? If I give up five minutes of scrolling on my phone, what will I choose instead to fill that time?
It might seem noble to say that I will simply “pray,” but I know myself well enough to realize that I’ll do better with a more structured plan. So perhaps I’ll go to a pre-written breath prayer, like the ones shared in Breath as Prayer by Jennifer Tucker. Maybe I will listen to a worship song or meditate on a passage of Scripture. My goal is to find something that draws me closer to Jesus in this reclaimed space.
Does this also sound intriguing to you? If so, here are some suggestions you might consider:
If you are giving up something like TV or social media… choose a book, devotional, or scripture to reflect on during the time you would have spent in front of a screen.
If you are giving up coffee in the morning… replace that morning routine with an activity that invites prayer, like spending a few minutes in a comfortable space with candles and a favorite blanket or taking a quick prayer walk.
If you are giving up a particular food or drink… write down something you’re thankful for every time you get hungry or thirsty.
If you are giving up listening to the radio during your commute… find a podcast, worship music, or bible reading plan that you can play instead.1
We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. Let us look only to Jesus. - Hebrews 12:1-2 (NCV)
While I don’t think that we are giving up sinning when we fast (because, honestly, we should always be “giving up” sinning, right?), I do find it helpful to think about fasting as similar to repentance. When we repent, we’re not just turning away from something but also turning toward God. In the same way, as we turn away from something in this season of Lent, let us purposefully redirect our hearts to God!
Jen Ludwig is a Jesus-follower, worship leader, and writer. She and her husband are recent empty-nesters (daily discovering what God has for them in this new season)! Her devotional, Embracing Advent, encourages us to focus on the hope, peace, joy, and love that Jesus offers at Christmas—and every day of the year. Connect with Jen at www.jenludwig.com and @jenludwigwrites.
In our overstimulated world, it should go without saying that sometimes God simply calls us to silence, stillness, or unstructured prayer. I wholeheartedly affirm that path during this season of Lent. To intentionally pursue these practices, it might be helpful to consider how to make room for that sacred spiritual space in some physical place as well.
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Thank you for your insight on Lent. Such an important practice to enter into! Breaking it down to surrender and embrace, repent and pursue-wonderful! Thank you!