today, ash wednesday, is the beginning of lent and the forty days leading up to Easter. now I will say growing up I never heard a lot about this time of year. all I really knew was you had to give up something, repent a lot and try not to focus on yourself. pretty dark and depressing if you ask me.
but over the years my attitude towards this season has changed. there’s an anticipation that builds up with this time of year. i look at it now more like a time of preparation rather than a time of depression. in the same way advent helps me to prepare for Christmas, lent helps to prepare me for Easter and everything that it means.
lent has become a time to turn my focus back to God. to rejuvenate my prayer life. try new prayer practices. spend some time in silence with the Lord. doing things that connect me to Him on a deeper level.
i know there are some things that have entered my life that take my time and energy away from my family and friends and even God. pinterest, facebook and my smart phone all come to mind. but I don’t want my focus, during lent, to be on what i'm giving up. i’d rather it be on what I’ve been given.
quality time with my boys
a higher level of intimacy with my husband
a stronger relationship with our Lord.
yes, for me, lent is a time of soul-searching and repentance. but it’s also a time to start something new, to turn back to God and to remember all we have been given, and to begin again!
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