Mama, Three Things for Lent

I've long loved the quiet pondering that the season of Lent encourages. As a child the giving something up was difficult, but there was a lesson in it. I loved putting my little girl change into the rice bowl cardboard box and turning it, heavy and full, in at the end of Lent. My love of Lent has grown to something of beauty in my adulthood, and with that in mind, here's three things I think every mama needs this Lent.

Blessed Is She

• Food for thought. I love the daily devotionals that are tied to scripture readings. They're written by women just like you and me. Women who are willing to be real and raw. Best of all, they just arrive in your inbox daily. A quick read, or dive in more on the website with a click of a button.

Quiet, Prayer and a Journal

• There is beauty in quiet and listening more than you talk. This Lent listen to the world around you - the birds chirping, the laughter of kids getting off the school bus, the chime of church bells, mowers starting up for a new season, bikes swishing by on a path, the click of the dogs paws on the sidewalk, the drip drip drip of rain...  Bask in being still. Ponder it. See what God has to say to you in the "quiet" of the day. An easy journal - Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project One-Sentence Journal. Just one sentence, peeps. You can do that.

Be Patient and Kind to Yourself

• Sometimes the worst negative is in our own heads, just swirling around. Why not take Lent to brush that stuff out of your mind? Spring clean your mind and soul. Practice kind words to yourself. Be patient with yourself. Bask in all that you are, instead of everything you aren't. You matter. You're loved.

Notice I didn't say to give something up. Yes, fasting, almsgiving and prayer are the three pillars of Lent, but I'm not so sure God really cares about the candy, the Starbucks or the social media time that are often the go-to picks to abstain from over the 40 days. I think it's much more than that. It's about how whatever you give up for Lent can aid you in turning inward and reflecting, all the while leaning into grace and chasing more of Him and less of you. In something of true sacrifice, we die to ourselves, our our wants and the things of self. It's a thankless thing. A quiet thing. A thing you do just for Him and you.

But yes, I am giving something up for Lent. It enhances the season for me. This year I'm giving up sleeping in. I think it's something that is blocking me from becoming the woman He desires me to be and given that, it needs to be worked on a bit. Getting up a bit earlier allows for quiet time to begin my day, time to read, to journal, to talk with Him in prayer, move a bit and time to tend to all that is entrusted to me and get everyone out the door with smiles on their faces. Time to set the tone for my day.

So what will your Lent look like this year? Will it be a journey, or just a marathon to get to the candy and coffee at Easter?

- Jen

P.S. Might as well throw a fish fry in for good measure. You've got to eat and joyful time with your faith community is delightstruck.

and if you're curious...

What is Lent and what is a rice bowl? Watch here.

And another great daily inbox resource - Best Lent Ever video series.