I guess I was a little surprised when Aubrey informed me the other day that she had given up “Minecraft” for Lent.

Lent was not something we had ever observed in our family before. But Aubrey, unprompted and completely on her own, decided that she wanted to.

The video game has taken up a lot of her spare time, and she recognized some value in briefly sacrificing that enjoyment for a higher purpose.

Not everyone, though, would think this a good thing.

Recently, some well-meaning people who are not members at OpenDoor informed my wife, when the subject came up, that Lent is “not in the Bible.”

Their point, of course, was that since it’s not, we shouldn’t have anything do with it.

After all, “speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where it is silent” has been one of our traditional maxims and identifying marks in Churches of Christ.

Now, one could interject here that we seem to like silence primarily when it serves our purposes; there are plenty of things scripture is silent on that we nonetheless do.

And never mind that that quasi-credal statement about being “silent where the Bible is silent” itself is not in the Bible.

But I don’t want to get hung up on hermeneutics at the moment.

Because, while it’s true enough that the word “Lent” is not mentioned, the concept or principle behind it is all over the place in Scripture, or so it seems to me. It’s an idea closely related to fasting, where one refrains from something for a brief time and instead devotes that time and energy to God, or in the case of Lent, concentrates on Christ and his resurrection.

Back to things not specifically mentioned: In studying these matters, I’ve come to believe that ultimately it falls to the individual believer — using spiritual discernment, and guided by the general principles that scripture does provide — to decide for themselves how to approach them.

So. If Lent is helpful to you, if it draws you closer to God, then feel free to observe it. If it’s not helpful in this way, then don’t. Or, you may decide to forgo it because of another brother or sister’s conscience, per Paul’s instructions in Romans. Very simple.

Tamara and I are proud of Aubrey for her decision to participate in Lent this year. She is acting according to her conscience, we believe, and her maturing understanding of her God, His word and His will for her life.

And that, as a parent, is a joy to be a part of.