In Lent we are reminded of Christ’s humanity. Taking on our human form he shows us that these human bodies can handle the presence of God. His temptations were as real as ours and when we join ourselves to him, we too can be freed from the control of our sinful nature. The spiritual disciplines Christians practice in lent (and at other times) are aimed at voluntarily increasing our capacity for interaction with the kingdom of God. Or that is at least how Dallas Willard puts it. His, The Spirit of the Disciplines, is well worth a read if you are interested in exploring how and why spiritual disciplines are our necessary part in letting God in to transform our lives.
“God in regeneration renews our original capacity for divine interaction. But our body’s substance is only to be transformed totally by actions and events in which we choose to participate from day to day”
(p92)
So give up chocolate by all means, but it is what you do while you are not eating chocolate that will probably make a bigger impact on your life.
