Loving Lent

I love the season of Lent. The bare trees. Bleak weather. Diving into the Scriptures. Stripping away all that is extra and committing to give more of self. Okay, “love” might not be the right word. But I know I need Lent.

It is a nice reminder of how weak I am. I make grand commitments and forget them within a few days. Sometimes I think the less things I decide to do, the better chance I have at success. But that’s not true, either.

So I take it day by day, trying again to remember my pledges to prayer, sacrifice, and charity. And trying to be spontaneous, too, open to the little trials and opportunities God sends my way.

There are so many opportunities in the family: finding ways to make others happy, turning the other cheek, working without grumbling . . . Or how about doing something you really don’t want to do, like cleaning and organizing parts of the house that have been forgotten?

When I fail, I’m motivated to get back up because I know that through prayer and self-denial, God changes me. He turns me away from selfishness and worldly pursuits and back to Him!

I also think of Lent as a time to redouble my efforts to help the suffering souls. They can’t pray for themselves. But we can pray for them!

If you are looking for something to read this Lent, this is a good nonfiction. Hungry Souls by Gerard Van Den Aardweg

How is your Lent coming along? Are you sticking to your sacrifices and prayer commitments? How many times do you forget and have to start over?