Lent 2018
Name: James Kim
Lenten Commitment: Keep a QT and prayer journal and write in them each day before starting homework.
Before I started my commitment, I would often feel guilty and shameful during Sundays at church; Hank TE would ask how many days of QT everyone had completed and I would usually hold up one or two fingers feebly. Because of this, I wanted to change my routine for the longest time, but never really got around to making it happen. However, this year’s Lent was the perfect opportunity to do so.
For Lent this year, I decided to rededicate myself to God through both prayer and QT. I chose to do this specifically because I noticed that I was lacking time with God. I would seem to be too caught up in things like hanging out with friends, playing video games, or even just doing school homework and forget to read the Scripture. I knew that I would have to remember to prioritize God above all else throughout this commitment. My overall plan was to spend time with God every day while filling out my QT journal to keep myself on task, and to write out the things I learned from each daily reading.
My journal writing has been going great; as soon as I came home from school each day, I read the QT bible verses for that day and reflected upon them. Before I started any homework, I always read that day’s QT page and reflected upon it; this helped me to realign my priorities. I did not rush through the QT, and I also did not find it repetitive in any way. In fact, it actually felt good to spend more time with God as it was a calming experience.
As I continued to open up my eyes through prayer and reading his word consistently, I experienced a lot of benefits that I had previously been missing out on. For example, I began to feel closer to Christ because I could hear him speaking to me through these scriptures. Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthian church and said, “I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.” (2 Corinthians 7:4). Even though these were Paul’s words, I could feel Christ speaking through him to me. He expressed that he truly cares for me, and is willing to shoulder my burdens alongside me.
As I delved deeper into the meaning behind some of the QT verses, I could relate the messages to my current life, and I was given answers on how to solve some of my pressing problems. A couple of these problems were bad relationships with friends/family and indecisive time management. More importantly, He told me how I should be living out my life in all of His glory. This Lent journey has helped me realize how much more important Christ is compared to the worldly “idols” in my life. The comfort that simple daily Bible reading, journaling, and prayer has given me is greater than that of any sport or video game.
I hope that I can approach the rest of Lent with an even more willing attitude so that I can continue to give one hundred percent of my heart to Christ in everything that I do. Without a doubt, I think that this is something that I want to continue even after the Lent because it has changed my life in a positive way. For other DSYG members who have not done anything for Lent, I encourage them to choose a commitment and stick to it, because it is a cool experience and brings you closer to God.
This post is a part of DSYG’s Lent Reflections series meant to educate and inspire readers on the season of Lent and its value in any Christian’s relationship with Christ. For more information on this series, click here.
To read more posts in this year’s series, click here.
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