If there was one thing we should all give up for Lent (and for life!), it’s worrying. Worry achieves absolutely nothing positive and Jesus warns us against the problems it causes in Matt 6:25-34. Corrie Ten Boom defined worry as a ‘cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a centre of fear’, and said, ‘worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.’

We worry about so many things, some trivial, some more important, but ultimately worry is pointless. It does not have the power to change anything and simply leaves us worn out and fraught. Right now, the world is not only worrying about the corona virus; many people are positively panicking. Yet neither worry nor panic, fear nor fretting can actually change anything. We need to learn to let go of all worry and replace it with trust in God. Faith, not fear, has to be our guide. Isaiah reminded the people many years ago, ‘Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.’ (Is 8:12-13)

Paul reminds us that prayer is the antidote to worry: ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil 4:6-7)

One of the most frequent Lent abstentions is from alcohol, caffeine or chocolate. There is nothing wrong with these abstentions, for all these things can become addictive, and it can be good to ‘de-tox’ from things which would seek to gain first place in our lives.

There are many addictive substances in the world, and most of us would recognise the destructive nature of some of these (including cigarettes and drugs.) The harmful nature of other addictions (to chocolate, caffeine, social media or shopping, for example) is not always as evident. However, we need to understand that anything which takes the place of God and which cannot be given up is an addiction which needs to be removed from our lives. The thing or person does not have to be destructive in itself to cause us problems. It’s all a question of allegiance and alliance. God needs to have first place in our lives or we are not whole people.

We must guard our hearts (see Prov 3:5-6, Prov 4:23) and not allow anything to become addictive and push God from the throne of our lives. This is often easier said than done, but God is able to break every chain which holds us and lead us into freedom. (Gal 5:1)

We have just received a letter from Reeba in India telling us about the January graduation service for the tailoring programmes. It’s so exciting to think of these women being equipped to earn their own living and receiving the gifts of a personal sewing machine thanks to our generosity.

Paul urges us to flee from sexual immorality (1 Cor 6:18), reminding us that whoever sins sexually sins against their own body, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 6:18-19). We live in a society which does not really recognise sexual immorality anymore. Everyone is free to do as they please sexually and if you say otherwise, you are likely to be criticised and condemned.

Nonetheless, the Bible urges us to avoid sexual immorality (1 Thess 4:3) and gives us a clear picture of marriage between a man and a woman as the only sanctified context for sexual activity. Jesus reminded us that sexual immorality starts with our thoughts and attitudes and we must therefore do all we can to maintain purity and holiness in every area of our lives, including this one. Far from giving us prohibitions to spoil life, God gives us commandments to protect us and others and to mirror His undying love for us. Embracing His restrictions sets us on the path of life and actually leads to freedom.

We all know people who are constantly criticising others, grumbling, complaining and being negative. ‘X never has a good word to say about anyone,’ we realise. Such negativity is oddly contagious, and we can easily become negative people ourselves.

At the present time, there is much negativity and fear all around, especially as people struggle to come to terms with the potential implications of Covid-19, a ‘new virus’ which leaves us uncertain and often afraid. Negativity and panic seem to be flourishing all around; remaining steadfast and sensible seems to be largely impossible.

The three wise monkeys in the story ‘see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.’ Whilst they are often portrayed as being in the wrong (e.g. they turn a blind eye to wrongdoing), the principle of taking care what we see, listen to, say and do is wholly Biblical. Paul is particularly concerned with our thought life, saying ‘whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.’ (Phil 4:8) If we do that, negativity goes out of the window. That doesn’t mean situations automatically become favourable or easier, but it does mean we are anchored to the positive truth that God cares for us and is in control, no matter what our visible situations tell us.

Paul tells us we are children of the light (Eph 5:8, 1 Thess 5:5) and that we do not belong to the darkness or night. Jesus came as light to the world so that we no longer have to live in darkness, but this means constantly embracing the light in order to escape the clutches of the darkness.

God’s word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. (Ps 119:105) We need to embrace His word and turn from the things we used to do when we were children of the dark. (Eph 4:17-19) We need eyes that are healthy and will be a light for our lives (Matt 6:22-23), which means choosing not to dwell on things that are part of the dark side of life.

This might mean letting go of certain reading material, TV programmes, social media, pornography, alcohol or other substances which would drag us down paths of darkness and instead committing ourselves to pursuing all that is good and pure. It might mean learning to love people unconditionally and practically so that we are not dwelling in darkness. (1 John 2:9-11). Whatever we do, let go of darkness and follow the Light of the world.