Lent is coming...what's your practice?

Lent begins this Wednesday, Ash Wednesday to be exact.  It's the 40 day period leading us to the joyous celebration of Easter.  The season of Lent is a time of repentance, a time to reflect on God's relationship with us and in essence think about and actually address the things that get in the way of God's love and grace in our lives.  The traditional focus in Lent is through prayer, fasting and giving of alms.  

When I was younger, there was a focus on giving something up for Lent.  One year I wanted to give up Brussels spouts.  (Truth is, I didn't like them back then, at all.) Come to find out Lent isn't about giving up things you don't like as much as it is giving things up that take time or space from God's presence in your life.  More recently, there has been a trend to take something on for Lent.  Either an additional devotional practice, a new way for you to serve, or an act of kindness that you extend to different people.  Some people give something up, like a daily cup of coffee from their favorite coffee shop and then donate that money to a charity or church. 

There are lots of options for the season.  This year, since my word of the year is 'intentional,' I want to  be intentional about my focus this Lent.  As I thought about ways to be intentional, I realized that I needed to think about what my goal or hopeful outcome at the end of the season would be. 

I realized that I wanted to help myself develop habits that would help my body, mind, and spirit deepen in relationship with God and with others in these ways:

• To see and experience Jesus every day.  
• To live out my best life (the life that God has in store for me)
• To help me love others more deeply and to be more deeply loved.  

As I thought about the above, I realized that I wanted to add or remove things that would help my emotional, physical, spiritual and mental wellbeing.  I believe all these areas are part of who I am as a child of God and who God created me and calls me to be in the world.  

That being said, I came up with 11 practices/activities/habits to incorporate into the 40 day Lenten journey.  

1) Read the Chronicles of Narnia.  I know as a kid, my dad read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe aloud to me.  (He has a great Aslan voice.)  I have not read the entire series and per recommendation of a friend, Lent would be a good time to read at least the first book in the series.  We'll see how the rest of the books pan out, but I feel like it's a good time to engage with these characters and these stories as we journey to the cross and the empty tomb.  

2) Drink at least 3 nalgenes of water a day.  Some days I'm really good at this and other days, I'm walking around mostly dehydrated.  This is a way to help my body function - run, recover, work, rest and play to the best of its ability.  Not to mention, my body is a gift from God, and I want to take care of it as best as I can.  

3) Write every day.  I've been working through the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron in hopes of helping my inner creative being emerge and begin the process of writing a devotional book.  I've been working through this book as a class.  Part of the class invites the reader to write 3 pages every morning.  I've started this, but want to make this an intentional focus this Lent partly for the opportunity to write, but also the opportunity to reflect on the season and the reading I'm doing this season.  

4) Write down where I see Jesus - every day.  Pretty self explanatory, but a good one to keep track of for 40 days.  

5) Cut out sugar.  I went sugar free in January and I noticed energy and solid workouts without added sugar in my diet.  I'll start this on March 1 (after celebrating my nephew's 6th birthday).  It will take on the form of baked goods, processed foods and candy - not to mention other sugar added items.  

6) Set time for a weekly Artist's Date.  This comes from The Artist's Way.  It is an intentional weekly date with myself to nurture my inner artist and creator.  

7) Nightly check-ins.  A short journal entry to include highs and lows from the day and where I saw Jesus that day, too.  

8) Date night 2X a month.  How does this help me to see Jesus and to live out my best life?  By helping me to love and be loved and experience love and time with my husband.  It is life and spirit giving.  

9) Get 7.5+ hours of sleep each night.  

10) Daily devotions.  My devotional life ebbs and flows.  This 40 day period is a perfect time to enter back into the practice of centering prayer through scripture, poems and meditation.  

11) Weekly friend dates.  Either a walk or a meal or time with a friend - outside of work time to again, help me see God's love in my life and in the lives of my friends.  


And there you have it....my Lenten practice or practices or habits to help me see and experience Jesus every day, live out my best life (the one God is calling me into daily) and to more fully love and be loved.  

What are your practices?  Changes?  Giving something up?  Taking something on?  
What is your 40 day focus?  
Whatever it is, my prayer for you is that it gives you time and space to connect more deeply with the God in whom you believe.  May this journey be the holy trek you need right now.  

+peace