Happy Mardi Gras, everyone! On this day before Lent, many of us find ourselves looking at the journey ahead. Do you know what you are going to do for Lent this year? I am actually prepared for once. I have a devotional from Blessed Is She, called Here, Too that I plan on completing. I am also going to try the Hail 15 Program. I have been pregnant the past three years during Lent and was not able to fast, so this year I hope to challenge myself with this program. I decided to challenge myself this Lent by completing the devotional and program so that I can reach my ultimate goal, to grow closer to God.
Many people struggle with what they want to do for Lent. A lot of people decide to give something up. Maybe it is coffee, dessert, or social media. I know that I have struggled in the past trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Last year I think Lent just kind of came up on me and I really did not end up doing much, other than trying to read a little bit of a religious book every day. One year I gave up coffee (before I had kids…I don’t know if I could do that right now 😂). Another year I gave up dessert. That was also difficult (I have a sweet tooth). Giving up something for Lent is a great way to grow closer to God. Making a sacrifice in our lives and offering it up to the One who made the ultimate sacrifice for us is a great way for us to try to relate to Jesus and grow closer to Him.
I remember growing up when I was stuck on what to do, my dad would tell us that while giving something up for Lent is good, the whole point is to become a better person. So, maybe “giving up” something for Lent is not what you want to do this year, but rather, trying to add something into your life that will help you become better. A goal could be to have prayer time set aside every day, or praying the rosary daily if you don’t already (@manyhailmarysatatime is a great resource if you have an Instagram account and would like to start praying the rosary with other people. They have a live rosary every morning at 6:45am CST). Maybe it could be to give someone a compliment every day and spread kindness.
My dad told me that his dad would give up smoking for Lent every year. Then one time, he decided that if he could give it up for forty days, why not for life? I love hearing this story because it provides all of us with a great lesson. Lent is a time for preparation for Easter. If we substitute a few words, we can also say, “life is a time of preparation for heaven”. We go into Lent every year, knowing that the forty days will come and go, but our ultimate goal should be to grow in our relationship with God. Our goals that we set for Lent, should not just be for forty days, but for life.
Many of us give up things during Lent that provide us with happiness, but that we may not necessarily need. As a way to make this a goal for life, we should try to keep making daily sacrifices, no matter how small, and offer them up to God. If we are trying to add more prayer time to our life, make it a habit- don’t stop once Lent is over.
So now, I ask again. Do you know what you are doing for Lent this year? Are you ready?
~Michelle
