Lent is not a joyous season. It is not a happy occasion. It is the period of time leading up to Jesus' crucifixion. It is a period of time where we give up comforts and things we take for granted. We give up things that we love. We go without in order to make much of Christ.
It is not a happy time.
Yet, we can still find reasons to give thanks during Lent. We can find reasons to thank God day after day after day, even in the middle of fasting and in the middle of going without. We can find reasons to thank God because Lent itself is a celebration if we think beyond the cross and look forward to the resurrection. We can give thanks in Lent, too.
During the hard seasons of life, during the dark moments and hopeless nights, we can find reasons to give thanks. We can come up with reasons to be grateful and remember that there is still breath in your body for a reason. Even in the hard times God gives us the soft and gentle whispers that He is not done with us yet, and therefore we can give thanks.
We can be grateful for Lent, because even though it is a somber season, it enables us to enter into Christ's suffering with Him, and therefore ultimately His victory.
Without death there would be no resurrection. For Jesus, and for us all.
We can find reasons to give thanks during the hard times, knowing that even in the midst of them, God is bringing things back to life.
With love,
Elisha