We are now in the season of Lent, a 40-day journey that Christians across the world observe in preparation for Easter. In many churches, people take on a Lenten discipline. Often, that means giving up a favorite indulgence like chocolate, alcohol or social media. Sometimes it means taking something on, like more intentional prayer, daily Scripture reading, acts of service or honest self-examination.

On the surface, these practices can look like religious self-improvement projects. But Lent is not about spiritual performance. It is about clarity. It is about identifying what distracts our hearts and clouds our vision. What habits keep us from loving God fully and loving our neighbors as ourselves? What noise drowns out the still, small voice that calls us to courage?

In that sense, Lenten disciplines are more demanding than New Year’s resolutions. A resolution might aim at a better body or a more organized schedule. Lent aims at the soul. It asks harder questions: What am I avoiding? Where am I numbing myself? What do I sense God calling me toward that I would rather ignore?

It is easier to stay quiet. Easier to scroll past complexity. Easier to let other people do the hard thinking, the careful learning, the vulnerable speaking. Courage – especially moral and spiritual courage – can feel costly.

Yet if God’s work is to be made visible in the world, it will not happen through timidity. It will require people willing to examine themselves honestly, to educate themselves thoughtfully and to enter conversations with humility and conviction – not to win arguments, but to seek truth; not to shame others, but to grow together.

For me, this Lent may not be about giving up chocolate. It may be about giving up cowardice. It may mean leaning into study, listening more carefully and speaking more faithfully. If Easter is about resurrection, then perhaps Lent is about clearing away whatever keeps new life from rising.

The Rev. Andrew McLarty is Rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Columbus.