Preparing for Lent.

I’m trying to spend some time thinking about and preparing for Lent, so that it doesn’t catch me off guard on Wednesday like it does every year. Thanks to the guidance of a good friend, I am entering this season with a different perspective than usual, and I’m really excited about that. Maybe it’s strange to say I’m entering the forty days leading up to the death of Jesus with excitement; so I’ll just clarify that I’m excited to see how the Lord will work in my life and in my heart during this period as I make an effort to make more time to be with Him.

I feel like many of my stories start off, “the other night at youth group…” and I have to laugh at myself a little for that. I have joked with friends that I feel like I’m going through the youth program for the second time because I learn so much when I’m there as a volunteer!

So… the other night at youth group, my abovementioned good friend really drove home the point that Lent should not just be about giving something up. It’s not a time for us to test our willpower. That really struck me; I realized that, even when I don’t mean to, I usually end up turning Lent into a test of willpower. In college, my friends and I used to like to outdo each other by seeing who could give up the most extreme things. I remember sitting in the dining hall with my best friend one year, agreeing to give up sweets and then making guidelines about what we would consider “sweets.” (For example, a muffin was a sweet unless it was eaten for breakfast. And oh my goodness, the time we spent debating sweet tea!)

My point here is that I really want this Lenten season to be one of reflection and of nearness to God. I am not giving anything up; I am not testing my willpower or trying to out-Lent anyone. I don’t have a fully fleshed-out plan. I just know that I want to take time out of my busy day, every day, to be with God. I really commend and admire my friends who are committing to morning devotionals. Considering that I can barely make it to work on time most mornings, I feel like I would be setting myself up to fail with that one. My goal during Lent is going to be to find time every day—time that I waste on useless or frivolous things—and give that time to God. Maybe that means less time Facebooking; maybe it means less TV. I’m just going to pray for guidance as I seek to spend meaningful time with God. I pray that He will give me the strength to resist the temptations that draw me away from His presence, and I pray that he will open my eyes to opportunities to be with Him.

“Create in us clean hearts O God; and sustain us with your Holy Spirit.” –Suffrages A, The Book of Common Prayer