It’s not the ash upon the brow,
Nor hunger from the fasting now.
It’s deeper still—this sacred way,
A turning heart that dares to pray.

It’s not just giving something up,
Like sweets or habits or coffee cup
But laying down what dims the soul,
To let the Spirit make it whole.

It’s walking with the Christ who gave,
Who loved, who served, who came to save.
It’s finding Him in quiet grace,
In stranger’s eyes, in sacred space.

It’s seeking justice, giving bread,
Forgiving wounds long left unsaid.
It’s lifting hands, it’s bending knee,
It’s living love that sets us free.

This road leads through the desert bare,
But ends in light beyond compare.
For Lent is not where stories cease
It blooms into eternal peace.

So journey on with heart made new,
The cross in sight, but heaven too.
For in the giving, we are found
In loss, in love, on holy ground. 

For His Honor and Glory
MarkWaldrop