Being a good steward requires making sacrifices in our daily lives

How is giving up sweets, fast food or alcohol for 40 days supposed to draw us closer to Christ? I truly believe there are no coincidences. Our Lord is intentional in all that He does. Therefore, 40 days of Lent is the ideal amount of time to make a sacrifice that will help us grow closer to Him.
Our Lenten sacrifice isn’t just about giving up something we enjoy. Lent calls us to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These same sacrifices are fundamental to living the life of a Christian steward. 
The scriptures are filled with examples of 40 days of sacrifice. Just look at what 40 days of sacrifice did in these three Bible stories: Noah and the great flood, Moses fasted on Mt. Sinai and Jesus in the desert.  
In Genesis, the Lord told Noah, “For seven days from now I will bring rain down on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and so I will wipe out from the face of the earth every being that I have made” (Gen. 7:4). The great flood cleansed the land of its wickedness. The flood was like God hitting the reset button, clearing the land of the evil and sin that had overwhelmed it. During our 40 days of Lent, we are called to clean our own spiritual house. 
In Exodus, Moses fasted for 40 days and 40 nights on Mt. Sinai while carving the Ten Commandments into the stone tablets as dictated by our Lord. As a result of Moses’s time with our Lord, he returned with an incredible glow. Read Exodus 34:28-29 for the scripture. When we spend time with the Lord, His radiance shines through us. 
In the New Testament, Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days in the desert while being tempted by the devil before beginning His public ministry. His public ministry ended in the ultimate sacrifice, death on the cross. He made the ultimate sacrifice for our eternal salvation. We can reflect on Jesus’s 40 days of fasting in Matthew 4:1-11. 
These stories are examples of 40 days of sacrifice that lead to a transformation or change. Just like the 40 days in the Bible, Lent is here to challenge us to transform our own lives and help us grow closer to God in preparation for Easter. 
So when you reach for that dessert, say a prayer instead. When you pass up fast food or alcohol, donate the money you saved to charity. After all, Lent calls us to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Being a good steward requires making sacrifices in our daily lives, not just during Lent, but in all we do. Lent provides a very significant 40 days to reflect on our relationship with God and the ultimate sacrifice He made for us.
“If you wish to come after me you must deny yourself and take up your cross daily and follow me. For if you wish to save your life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for my sake you will save it” (Lk. 9:23-24).
­­— Shannon Roh is the Executive Director of the Office of Development and Stewardship for the Archdiocese of Mobile.