It's about to be that time of year again, Lent. For those of you who might be unfamiliar, it’s the 40 days before Easter that Christians, mostly Catholics fast to build a stronger relationship with God. Lent is kicked off by Ash Wednesday, which is a Christian day of praying and fasting. During this day you will see people with visible ash on their foreheads as they have already participated in the ceremony and begun their dedication. The 40 days of fasting isn't just a random number that someone thought it, it is symbolic for several reasons. In the Bible, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, Hebrews spent 40 years in the wilderness before reaching God and Jesus spent 40 days fasting in preparation for his ministry. So 40 days is an appropriate time to fast and to give up items that you have become reliant on to create a closer bond with God.
As for me, I have participated in Lent each year for as long as I can remember. Even as a teenager, I can recall giving up things like soda and haven't gone back to them even to this day. But there have been other things I’ve given up like chocolate and coffee and could not wait for Easter to arrive so that I could indulge. Often people give up meat (hints why a lot of fast-food restaurants start to sell Fish during this season to avoid missing out on all profits) or reduce alcohol intake or decide to be more thoughtful with how they use their time. But Lent is not only about the things that you give up but can also be about things you add to your daily routine to be a better person or child of God. There have been times where I devoted myself to reading a scripture a day or have one act of intentional goodness daily. Whatever you give up or decide to add should be something that will make you a better person overall.
This year is tricky for me as I can see a shift happening within myself. I have already made a decision to attend church at least 2 times a month (trending for about 3 times a month so far). I have picked back up reading vs spending time watching tv. I am already getting myself into the swings of things with blogging, especially since I have not been consistent and was absent for several months. I’ve decided to give up hookah (which is my one vice), especially after hearing how smoking one round of hookah translates into 10 cigarettes. I have been challenging myself to drink at least 1 gallon of water daily. So a lot of the things that I would want to give up / add to my routine is already in motion.
However, I sat down and thought about what I could do this year to make myself a better person and I can up with these three options:
Replace 30 minutes of TV/Instagram time with praying, devotion and meditating. I pray each night and have noticed that my prayers are getting longer but have cut my conversations with God down to get to bed early. But I can now set aside time each night to devote to praying or meditating. I find that when I have those great candid conversations with God, I feel shifts and movements happening in my life that I didn’t even imagine. This one will be challenging to make sure I have the discipline to do that, especially after a rough workday. But because of the challenge, I knew it was one that I had to do.
Get up every workday at 6:30 am. If you know me, then you know this one is tough. I am not a morning person and will check my calendar the night before to see what time my first meeting is and wake up based on that. The problem is that I often snooze my alarm and will oversleep and wake up rushing and cranky. When I do wake up early my day goes better. So I am dedicated to getting up early each workday with the hopes that it creates a long-term habit. I heard the early bird gets the worm, so let me see how true this is.
Observing the Sabbath. In plain English, that means reserving Sunday for God and resetting and no labor-intensive activities should be done. I will focus on doing my cleaning, laundry, tasks on Saturday’s to avoid having to do anything other than church during Lent. Sundays are meant to worship with God and rest after the workweek so during this time I plan to do just that.
In case you need some more inspiration here are 5 ideas that you can use for Lent:
Don't buy anything you don’t need. This one is pretty easy, we often tend to buy things that we want or that we see others have. In this timeframe, focus on buying the things that you need vs want. A great example is buying food. You can get food from so many places but during this time buy food that is not excessive. No need to spend over $50 on a meal when cooking a $20 mean is sufficient.
Social Media. Give it up, especially if it's toxic.
Give up sugar. I didn’t give up sugar altogether but I have given up chocolate, which was challenging enough for me. But there are so many things that you can expand upon here. You could give up soda, snacks that are unhealthy or lattes vs black coffee. So many different routes you can take.
Swearing / Cursing. Sounds easy right. I tried that one year and it was tough. But it made me more conscious of the fact that I could easily filter that on and off depending on my setting. If I can not curse at work or around my family, why do I do it around friends?
Don’t eat out for 40 days. This is one where I am giving out advice and not taking it for myself. I have not done this one since the act of cooking does not bring me joy like others, but hey it could be the one for you.
Overall, if you have not participated in Lent but want a way to connect with God, I highly suggest you join in. Making a sacrifice makes you appreciate the things you already have in life.
Love, Brown Girl
“It’s the perfect time to reset, refocus and restart” - Brittany Dunlap