When I was in fifth or sixth grade, three friends and I agreed to give up candy for Lent, the season before Easter. During that time, our family visited my grandmother in the nearby town of Oxford.

In Oxford, there was a store that sold a wide variety of Jolly Ranchers hard candy. In Holdrege, I could get some flavors of Jolly Ranchers. Sour green apple, cinnamon and grape were easy to find. But in Oxford, they sold watermelon, lemon and other exotic flavors.

So, having forgotten the agreement in my excitement, I ate a few and took several home. When I realized what I’d done, I felt guilty. I put what was left in on a shelf until Easter passed.

But the good news is that while Lent is often seen as a time of sacrifice, it is really about God’s forgiveness. Lent is a time to prepare our hearts for Good Friday and Easter. Those holidays remind us of God’s love — that He offered His Son’s life for our sins and that we can enjoy a new resurrection life.

How do you celebrate Lent? Or, for that matter, do you celebrate Lent? Many times, I let this important season slide by. But this year, I’ve thought a lot about it.

Our team produced a series of devotionals for the season that are available through our website. Anne Marie and I each wrote one. You can sign up to get them via email from the Lent 2021 page on Cru.org.

The one I wrote includes an anecdote from 2013 about the friendship a group from my church here in Orlando enjoyed while sorting coins (shown here). The coins came from fountains at a local theme park. The park donated them to a home for children with serious disabilities. But the wet, dirty and mixed coins weren’t bankable. The group needed to clean and sort them.

As they worked, they were serving the home’s children in the spirit of generosity that Jesus modeled. God’s Spirit empowered them to serve, and to enjoy the fellowship.

This month, as you think of us, would you pray that those devotionals will help people grow in their faith? As always, we’re grateful for your friendship, prayers and generosity.

Oh, and you might wonder: After enjoying those Jolly Ranchers, did I admit my failing to my three friends? No, I confess now, I didn’t. (Dan, Randy and Scott, if you read this, I hope you can forgive me five decades later.)

— Mark, for the Winz family