For weeks I have been reading blogs full of ideas of what to do for Lent. Almost every single one offers a new take on how to incorporate prayer and fasting and sacrifice into each day. Part of me wants to try every single idea.
By now I should almost certainly have decided to give up something (caffeine or Pokemon Go), or decided to take something on (a daily rosary or a weekly weekday Mass), or committed to some kind of a concrete, tangible plan for those 40 days.
But I think this is one of those years where I’m going to approach Lent without too many ideas. I’m not creating a road map or signing a contract in my mind. Instead, this year, I’m going to let Lent come to me.
I’m setting aside my own agenda and asking God to walk with me this Lent and guide me however He sees fit.
Yes, I will try to pray more, to be more, to give more, and to be without more of the distractions and noise that separates me from Him.
But I am not entering into Lent with a personal plan.
I am entering Lent with empty hands, an open heart, and with a longing to be closer to Jesus. I don’t want this Lent to be about me. I want it to be about me and Him. So I am placing the 40 days of Lent into His hands to see how he guides me, what he asks of me, and how fully I can respond.
It may sound as if I giving up on Lent even before it begins, and in some ways it feels that way to me. Am I set to fail even before I receive my ashes? But I think that’s because I would prefer to have it all spelled out. Instead, I am truly trying to surrender myself to our Lord and His plan for my Lent, placing myself and my spiritual growth in His hands.
And maybe, just maybe, that will be enough.
Do you have a plan for your Lenten journey?