Christians give things up for Lent as a form of sacrifice, self-denial, or self-improvement in order to grow in their relationship with God or to be more like Him. The notion of the 40 day sacrifice comes from Jesus' 40 days of fasting in the desert following His baptism (see Matthew 4: 1 - 11).
During the season of Lent, we choose to voluntarily give up an item of food or drink, or an unhealthy habit, as a spiritual discipline in order to help us grow in our faith and dependence on the Lord.
Please see my posts on Day 10 and Day 11 if you'd like to read more on this topic.
Day 13
Instead of a devotional today, I thought I'd offer some suggestions of things to "give up" for Lent. These are just some ideas to help those of you who may not have decided what to give up yet, or who may have realised that just giving up sweets isn't a meaningful type of fast for this season.
And don't worry that we're already on Day 13 of Lent - it's never a bad time to let go of something that's going to help you in the long run.
30 (Meaningful) Things to Give Up for Lent
Fear, doubt, or worry
That sin you’ve been holding onto
The bad habit or addiction you haven’t kicked
Your pride or ego
Time (Volunteer for a cause)
Anger
Unforgiveness
Comparison
Gossipping
Complaining
The snooze button
Constant negativity
Texting while driving
Driving over the speed limit
Checking your phone first thing in the morning
Any app or website you waste too much time on
Being late for appointments
Fast food, junk food, or take out
Using screens after 8pm
Having to have things your way
Alcohol
Non-essential spending
Skipping church
Clutter (donate 40 things over 40 days)
Multi-tasking (give people your full attention)
Buying single-use plastics
Interrupting others
Telling white lies or half truths
Not exercising
Pressing the snooze button
If you'd like to approach this concept from another direction, here's another list:
Things to Add For Lent
Reading your Bible regularly
Reading a Bible study or daily devotions
Praying for the people you said you're praying for
Going to church or home group regularly
Memorizing a particular Scripture over the next 23 days
Getting some exercise
Calling your parents or grandparents
Doing 40 random acts of kindness
Phoning or texting someone you know is lonely
Replacing one of your mealtimes with reading the Bible