Lenten Irony: Stressing over Simplification

There is a boatload of irony in the fact that we invest so much time, effort, and stress in planning and preparing for a season in which we aim to simplify. Not that planning is necessarily bad. I am a planner. It's what I do. However, if we find ourselves overwhelmed by the approach of Lent, we may be missing the point of it. For those who find themselves in that situation, here is my suggestion-- Write this down:

*Photo Credit Below

Pray

Read

Fast

Simplify

Give





Now, prayerfully ponder for a bit and fill in the blanks. What one thing could you and/or your family benefit from doing this Lent in each of these areas?

Don't stress over this; Lent is about drawing closer to Jesus and striving to become more like him. There is no perfect Lent. There is only "doing Lent." Lent isn't something we accomplish; it is something that we live. There is growth in the living.

If you need some cheat sheets, here are a few:

Lenten Ideas/Activities 2013 @ Catholic Fire

Lenten Devotionals on Amazon

Lenten Devotionals at Barnes and Noble

A post on Lectio (Scriptural reading, meditation, and prayer) from A Cloistered Heart

The 40 Trash Bag Challenge

(The readership of Liturgical Time is diverse. Three of these links happen to be from Catholic websites, so...I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Protestants and Catholics, don't be afraid of each other's websites. You just might find something of value if you visit.)

Praying for you a blessed and Holy Lent,
~Michelle

*By SearchNet Media from Tucson, Arizona, USA (Ash-throated Flycatcher  Uploaded by Snowmanradio) [CC-BY-2.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons