Lent, The Wilderness and Unfinished Places Within Us

The Heart of This Article at a Glance

Lent begins in the places where life feels a bit unfinished.

There’s a Jewish tradition called Zecher L’Churban where a small part of a home is left incomplete — as a reminder that the world is broken, that we’re a work in progress, and that only God is perfect.

It’s a simple, honest way of saying, “We can’t fix everything ourselves, but God can.”

That’s the heart of Lent too.

From the early Church onward, Lent wasn’t meant to be a season of guilt or spiritual pressure.

It was a time to slow down, be real with ourselves, and let God shape us from the inside out — a season of formation, not punishment.

Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness show us what that looks like.

The wilderness is where He faced temptation, found clarity, and stepped more fully into who He was called to be.

Our own inner wilderness moments often do the same — they reveal what’s going on beneath the surface and open us up to God in new ways.

So Lent becomes a gentle invitation: pay attention, make space for God, and grow into the person He’s been forming you to become.

Read the full article below:

The Ancient Practice of Zecher L’Churban: Living with the Unfinished

There is an old Jewish custom called Zecher L’Churban — it is a remembrance of the destruction of the temples.

In this ancient custom, when a home was built or redecorated, a small part was deliberately left unfinished.

Not because the builders lacked skill, and not because the family ran out of paint;

but the tradition was used to keep before them a truth they dared not forget:

Which is; the world is broken, we are a work in progress, but only God is perfect.

Even in moments of celebration, the Jewish people recognised that the world was not yet complete. There were wounds still unhealed, hopes still awaiting their fulfilment.   

And they understood that wisdom meant acknowledging this, not hiding from it. That small, unpainted patch on the wall was a quiet reminder that life itself remains unfinished.  

Lent is About Personal Honesty

Lent is the season when the Church gently invites us to recognise the places within us that are unfinished;

the places where we still long for healing, the places where we know we need God.   

It is not a season of punishment. 

How Lent Grew: From Early Christian Formation to a Shared Journey

And it didn’t appear out of nowhere. Lent grew slowly, over centuries, as the early Church tried to help new Christians prepare for baptism at Easter.   

Those weeks before Easter became a time of learning, of praying, and of sorting out what it meant to follow Jesus in real life.  

But it wasn’t just about giving things up. It was about taking things in, absorbing holy truths —  absorbing the story of Jesus, taking in the shape of Christian life, and taking up the habits that help faith become something lived, rather than simply believed.    

Over time, the Church realised that this kind of preparation wasn’t just for the newcomers.  

Everyone needed a season to come back to themselves in, and back to God.   

So Lent widened out, and the whole church community stepped into it together every year.

It became a shared journey, no longer just a private challenge for newcomers.  

Why Forty Days Matter: The Biblical Pattern of Formation

Eventually the Church settled on forty days as the duration of this season.

Not because someone liked nice tidy numbers, but because forty is the Bible’s way of talking about formation.  

• Israel wandered for forty years in the desert. 
• Moses spent forty days on the mountain.  
• Elijah travelled forty days to reach the place where he could hear God again.
• And of course, Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness.
  
  

Forty is the Biblical time it takes for something within us to shift. It’s the time it takes for God to slowly work within us.     

Jesus in the Wilderness: What Matthew 4:1–11 Reveals

And that brings us to Matthew’s gospel.

Jesus went into the wilderness immediately after his baptism — straight after hearing the words, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

You might expect the next step would have been triumphant, or celebrational, or a burst of public ministry.   

But no, instead, he’s led into a place of hunger, vulnerability, and testing. 

Not because God wanted to see if he’ll fail, but because the wilderness is where Jesus would confirm the kind of messiah he would be .  

The Temptations We All Recognise: Power, Control, and Being Impressive

The temptations he faced were not particularly unique and they’re painfully familiar to us still today.    

The temptation to be impressive, to be powerful, to be in control.   

These are temptations that pull on us all in one form or another. 

And Jesus met them not with superhuman strength, but with clarity —  clarity about who he is and what his mission is.    

Our Own Wildernesses: The Places We Feel Stripped Back

We all have our own wildernesses too.  

They may not look like deserts, but they can certainly feel like them at times.

The times when we feel alienated, or uncertain, or tempted to take an easier path.  

The places where we’re not sure about the direction we are heading into.   

Lent doesn’t create those wildernesses. It simply gives us the courage, and space, to look at them with God, instead of avoiding them.    

Lent as a Season of Clarity, Not Punishment

But, the wilderness isn’t about punishment. It’s about finding clarity. It’s where we learn what God is shaping us to become.    

Jesus came out of the wilderness more grounded, not more burdened.  

And that’s the heart of Lent. Not less joy, but more truth. Not self-denial for its own sake, but the stripping away of what keeps us from living freely.    

Moving Beyond “Giving Something Up”: Making Space for God

Some of us, I am sure – mea culpa – grew up thinking Lent was mainly about giving something up.  

Chocolate, wine, biscuits — all the usual suspects. But the early Christians weren’t trying to make life miserable for themselves.  

They were trying to make space. Space to pray. Space to listen. Space to notice what was going on inside them.  

Fasting was never the point. Freedom was. Freedom to become all God created us for.  

What Lent Is Really For: Paying Attention and Returning to God

So what is Lent actually for?   

It’s a season for paying attention. A season for being honest about what’s shaping our lives.  

A season for returning — not to guilt, but to God.    

Gentle Practices That Open Us Up to God’s Work

And that means we should approach Lent gently.  

If you’re wondering what to do this year, don’t start with the question “What should I give up? 

Start with questions like;

“What would help me live more freely?”

“What would help me remember who I am?”

Ask yourself; “What helps me be open to God?”    

For some, it might be a few minutes of silence each day —  not to achieve anything, but simply to be present.  

For others, it might be letting go of something that drains life rather than gives it.  

For others still, it might be choosing one small act of kindness each day, something that nudges the heart outward.   

Lent as Personal Formation, Not a Test of Willpower

Whatever it is, do it for yourself, for your personal development – but ultimately for your relationship with God.

Let it be something that opens you up to His will, rather than tightens what is already tense within you.    

Because Lent is not a competition. It’s not a test of willpower. It’s a season of personal formation.

A season, of opening up, allowing and trusting that God is at work within us, shaping us slowly, patiently, lovingly.    

Returning to the Unfinished Wall: Honesty, Hope, and God’s Slow Work

During Lent we can reflect on our own Zecher L’Churban: in honest confession we can acknowledge that;

The world is broken;

We are a work in progress;

And only God is perfect.