Your lent survival guide: from what to give/take up to top tips for when you feel like giving up

Today, the start of lent, writer Rachael Cottle shares what helps her successfully navigate 40 days of discipline and how she uses the time to bring her closer to Jesus. 

Lent is here. Every year Christians across the world remember the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness before starting his ministry and finally paying the ultimate price for our sins. As we remember the beautiful story of our salvation many people choose to fast in some way or another over the lent period. But why do we fast? 

In Mark 2:20-22, Jesus says fasting is a time to create space for the new. As we set aside space for Jesus to renew us, we become ready for the inpouring of “new wine”. Lent is a time to prepare ourselves for a fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit. However, it can be difficult to choose what to spend the next 40 days without.