Friday, February 20, 2015

my take on Lent this year.



I normally think long and hard about what I'm going to give up for Lent each year. This year I felt different about it. Normally I'll give up sweets or pasta...whine and complain about it for 40 days, and then stuff myself silly with those things once Easter comes. Yes, I made a sacrifice...but for not even 2 months. And then I went back to what I'd been doing all along.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...in fact, I'm sure I'll do it again in the future.

But this year, I didn't necessarily want to give something up. I wanted to ADD something to my day. I've been seriously lacking with my devotionals lately. So I decided that during Lent this year, I'd spend less time focusing on my social media feeds, and more time studying God's word. (So perhaps in a way, I am sacrificing some of my Facebook time.)

I love to participate in She Reads Truth bible studies and devotionals, and I've decided to study with them during the Lenten season this year. I was just reading the devotion for today, and this quote stuck out to me:

"Lent is a pause button. It's a quiet unlike any other time of year. Lent is a season to close our eyes as the busy world buzzes around us, to consider those things we'd much rather forget: our sins and our humanity. We came from dust, and to dust we will return."

That pretty much put my feelings into words. Instead of making a big deal about not being able to eat a cookie, I'm going to spend time in quiet each day...pausing to remember my sins...and to be grateful that Jesus forgives them.

I used to do my devotions daily. I'm disappointed that I'd sloughed off lately. They say it takes 21 days to make something a habit. I have 40. So I'm hopeful that this quiet journey of mine through this Lenten season will help renew my eagerness to sit down each night after work with my bible, instead of my cell phone. There's nothing wrong with checking my social media. But not until after I've spent some quality time with Jesus.

xoxo, wife. 

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