Don’t Give Up; Give In
What are you giving up for Lent? It’s a common question for many Christians during this season leading to Easter, and the answers can range from the superficial, such as candy and burgers, to the more meaningful, such as wasted time, vanity, and truly harmful habits. The purpose of this giving up is to turn away from distractions and turn toward God. It is a form of fasting.
It seems easy enough, but giving things up can be difficult. We’re prone to clutch things so tightly that even if we do give them up for a while, we find ourselves gathering them up again once the season is over. If we don’t do it intentionally, we do it by gradually slipping back into our old habits.
Maybe there’s a better way. Instead of giving up something, what about giving in – to the full in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit. Instead of depending on our wavering will power to let go of the things that come between us and God, how about inviting the Holy Spirit to fill us so completely that there is no room for the clutter that pollutes our lives.
How we get to that in-dwelling and filling up is a whole other matter. It doesn’t just happen. It requires some preparation, some house cleaning of sorts with prayer, quiet meditation, perhaps the singing of a favorite hymn. Often a hymn and prayer are one in the same, and none is better for opening our doors to the spirit than “Spirit of the Living God” with its plea to “break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.”
If we ask that honestly, we’ll surely be filled with far more than we can ever hope to gain by just giving up a favorite pleasure or a bad habit.