I’m behind with some “Lenten training” — or rather, how to make this Lent more memorable that the last. In the past, I’ve made it a point to be even more charitable (not just financially but emotionally and spiritually, as well) to others in-need, but have not quite got the prayerful down; nor the fasting/abstinence from certain addictive elements in my life (Social Media — i.e., Facebook! Twitter!).
I mean, I once gave up Facebook for 40 days with great success but found that my usage of Twitter increased during those same 40 days. LOL. Then I thought, why not incorporate social media into my Lenten Journey, rather than completely ignore them? So here I am. For the next 39 days (hahaha, I’m late to start, as usual!), I’ll post something contemplative on either Facebook or Twitter (or both!) for the day. Though Jesus advises that whenever we pray, we are to go our rooms, close our doors to pray to God in private (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18), we are also called for constant awareness that this is a communal journey with those with whom we live and worship and with the global Christian community. (Hays, 18)§
…or at least that’s what I’m going to tell myself so I don’t have to give up Facebook! ROFL. Anyway, without further adieu, the themes for Lent:
Fast
I’ve reflected a bit on this and I think I really need to give up Road Rage for Lent. LOL. It was tough yesterday, Ash Wednesday, as it seemed like each vehicle on the road (and even on the parking lot!) was out to test my patience. Seriously, even my sis was giggling because she saw how much I struggled with it! I thought I could easily just let it go, but each time I’m on the road, I have something (not nice) to say about what the drivers around me are doing. Here’s to being more patient with myself and other drivers on the road!
Almsgiving
On the topic of patience, I definitely need to have more patience to those that seek my assistance (whether they’re the siblings or Parental Units, etc. ;)). I’d like to be more charitable everyday during Lent, or at least strive to do one charitable act, be it financial or emotional, for the next 39 days.
Prayer
This is a toughie; even though I’m beginning to go back to Choir, I still haven’t been able to get back into praying every day, and not just when I need something! This is probably the part where I’ll need most help with from the community but will also need to learn how to find time for myself in private prayer. I can always pray during my runs since I haven’t been listening to music anyway but that means I have to really stick with my training and run everyday! LOL. Ok, maybe I’ll stick to praying in my room. 😉
There’s probably other “stuff” that I’d need to file under those items that I can think of but the above is what I can commit to for now… And though the purpose of this post is far from “bragging” or making myself feel better, I hope that you too can find a way of making your Lenten journey memorable, even if just with the smallest act of doing so. 🙂
§I’m revisiting this book by Edward Hays called The Ascent of the Mountain of God : Daily Reflections for the Journey of Lent (listing on Amazon.com). I received this book years ago from my friend and during the time that I was really active in my church community but I have never really followed through with using the book! It’s essentially a manual for one’s Lenten pilgrimage in the theme of holy mountain climbing (the peak of the mountain would be Easter and there are base camps in-between). I thought I might finally pull through and truly use this book to help me through my journey since I’ve gotten more into rock climbing and there are some climbing terminology in this book. 😉
