When I was younger I used Lent to make sacrifices of a personal nature, but ones that didn’t really have any true affect on me. I’d give up pop or make a promise not to gripe about something, but to be honest I never really felt a connection to my sacrifice.
Last year I modified my thinking during lent and tried to incorporate elements into my 40 days that would not only benefit me, but others as well.
Example. I gave up online shopping with one exception. If I found something I just “HAD” to purchase I promised myself that I’d give 5 items to goodwill. At the end of the Lent season I was really doing an exact tally, but I do know that six boxes of my things got delivered to the goodwill store near my house and I felt good about what the 40 days had added up to.
This year I’m going to continue to collect things around my home to give to goodwill, but I’m putting a slightly different spin on Lent for myself. I’m going to dedicate the next 40 days to clearing out space in my life in general and focusing more on the moment.
What does this mean? It means no texting while driving. It means no facebook at work before lunch and a maximum of three brief checks per day rather than having it open sporadically all day long. It means writing more in my blog and clearing out my mind. It means space to explore my thoughts again. It means taking some quiet time every day to reflect. And I've just decided that it is also going to mean keeping an active gratitude journal. I am going to list three specific things every day that I can be thankful for – taking time and clearing space to reflect on my days.
Lent isn’t for everyone, but I do think we’d all benefit from taking a little quiet time in our lives - especially away from the constant distraction of technology.
In what ways could you clear space for yourself and change the way you are living?
Last year I modified my thinking during lent and tried to incorporate elements into my 40 days that would not only benefit me, but others as well.
Example. I gave up online shopping with one exception. If I found something I just “HAD” to purchase I promised myself that I’d give 5 items to goodwill. At the end of the Lent season I was really doing an exact tally, but I do know that six boxes of my things got delivered to the goodwill store near my house and I felt good about what the 40 days had added up to.
This year I’m going to continue to collect things around my home to give to goodwill, but I’m putting a slightly different spin on Lent for myself. I’m going to dedicate the next 40 days to clearing out space in my life in general and focusing more on the moment.
What does this mean? It means no texting while driving. It means no facebook at work before lunch and a maximum of three brief checks per day rather than having it open sporadically all day long. It means writing more in my blog and clearing out my mind. It means space to explore my thoughts again. It means taking some quiet time every day to reflect. And I've just decided that it is also going to mean keeping an active gratitude journal. I am going to list three specific things every day that I can be thankful for – taking time and clearing space to reflect on my days.
Lent isn’t for everyone, but I do think we’d all benefit from taking a little quiet time in our lives - especially away from the constant distraction of technology.
In what ways could you clear space for yourself and change the way you are living?
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