Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry – spending time with what it really meant to be the Son of God and what the journey he was beginning would require. Christians spend 40 days prior to the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection reflecting on the meaning of his sacrifice and of truly living in and responding to that gift of God’s grace and salvation Christ brought to us.
Lent began on Ash Wednesday (March 5) and continues through Holy Week with Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday (April 13-18), culminating with Easter Sunday on April 20. Here are several sample ideas for daily disciplines during Lent:
- Read through a portion of scripture, a bit each day. Maybe it’s the gospels. Maybe it’s the psalms or proverbs. Whatever you choose, it’s time well spent. And when Lent is over, you just might find you’ve created a new and wonderful habit.
- Good old-fashioned alms-giving. If you gave $5 away each day, it would cost you a total of $200 for the whole season, and what a rich time it would be! Buy the coffee of the person next to you in line or send a little something to someone special. Generosity as a daily discipline is a challenge that will delight you and those around you.
- Daily prayer. Many of us pray regularly, but it’s a very different experience to take on prayer as a brief, daily discipline. Choose in advance what you’ll pray, when you’ll do it, and how you’ll do it.
- Gratitude. What if you gave time each day to writing down something you’re grateful for? Or what if you turned those jottings into postcards and sent some words of thanks off to those you appreciate?
- Words of affirmation. Pay a strong, sincere compliment to someone each day. Not a bad thing to do anyway, right? Not an easy thing either, sometimes.
- Journaling. If you’ve never journaled before, then chances are you’ll find it tough…and well worth the effort. If you need a framework, try this modification of Ignatius’ practice: Each night recount the gifts of the day, the feelings you felt most strongly, and the things you are anticipating in the day ahead.
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash