Luke 4:2

so Jesus is in the desert "where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry".

To recap, Jesus has just been filled to the brink after his baptism, and then led into the wilderness. This next verse is describing what went on when he was there. Did Jesus take a relaxing holiday before he started his ministry? Did he goto a board meeting to plan whilst drinking delicious coffee? No, rather he's been led into the wilderness. 

During homelessless we decided to give up everything to sleep out and empathise with the homeless. It was timed (a mere 3 days) and disciplined, because out there resources were less. It was at this point that what's really important started to shine. It became real that we can live without a bed, without money, without knowing where food is coming from and even without a phone. There's a lesson I think we can all take from Jesus spending those forty days out there as you also might be joining in with lent. We can learn what is really important when we have given up the distractions. For me and Ger, it was our home and stuff for a very small amount of time; for Jesus it was everything he had (even food) for a huge amount of time (40 days).

My flatmate mentioned that Lk 4:2 is a massive understatement in saying "he was hungry". We are having to journal at KTC for lent, I'm writing just less than a page a day, and yet Jesus' forty long hungry days are summed up into one verse amongst the sea of his life. It's easy to just read over it, but (for those of you who've given up chocolate) imagine the next time you can eat an Easter egg? It's a long time, and yet it was an important time. Jesus saw the wilderness as a vital part of his ministry, it was only after he gave up everything except God (even food, that thing we talk so much about and bond over), that he was able to do God's work on earth. 

Lent gives us an opportunity to sort through our lives, and remember what is really important. The stuff that needs to stand, even if everything else falls.
God guide
xSx

40 is a big number

Update:

Since starting this blog I became a Counsellor. You can read more on blog on subjects like Therapy at:

 www.simonslistening.co.uk