How to Clear Out Life's Lint for True Lent

This is the season when Mother Nature pours more physical light into our days. It is fitting then, that this is the season of Lent, the Anglo-Saxon word for spring. Lent comes from a verb that means to lengthen.

Some of us enter into dedicated fasting and praying during the 40 days of Lent that ends with the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. The ancient Hebrew writers used 40 to mean foursquare, or completeness; symbolizing a foundation for followership, according to the late Charles Fillmore

I love Lent because it gives me an opportunity to renew my commitment to bring more light and understanding to the sometimes dark and confusing elements in my life.

We have often made the Lenten season a fad or thing-to-do by giving up certain foods (like chocolate and ice cream) and luxuries (such as buying a new pair of shoes). Instead, we should value the 40 day season of overcoming for its true worth. We should study and fast in the same manner as the spiritual examples set by Moses, Elijah and Jesus.

In the book, "Walk with Jesus" that was produced by the Writers Guild of Christ Universal Church in Chicago (1984), the question is posed, "Do you want more out of life?" When I first read this question, my enthusiastic answer was "yes!" Each year, I use this 40-day spiritual workbook to guide me in renewing my daily commitment to study the prescribed scriptures, live the spiritual objectives, and complete the tasks such as forgiving everything and everyone. I have found that in each season, a new me is resurrected.

Often times, my breakthroughs have come before the end of the 40 days. In 1993, I entered the Lenten season with prayers for a change in my financial status as the household expenses were rising beyond my paycheck and savings. Before the end of the season, I was employed by the 1996 Olympics organizing committee. That job appeared "out of the blue" similar to what happened to me during the Lenten season in 2009 when an offer came for my current job in a new city. During the 2001 Lenten season, the financial and logistical answers appeared that allow my youngest son to attend the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, Florida.

The season of Lent has brought me some of my greatest joys including the birth of my first granddaughter, Kaidence Aurora Kimbrough, and soon, the birth of her sibling.

I always have a great time during this season. I find that I am more creative, patient, grateful and forgiving, and less critical. I strive to live the Lenten season prayers and practices all year.

Open up to the change in your life and embrace it. It is the season of growth, renewal and prosperity. Let's enjoy.