I don’t know about you, but I’m really bad at Lent.
I live in fear of those TWO DAYS A YEAR of fasting (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday). This might be because I used to have a condition that made me extremely nauseous whenever I was hungry. It’s gone now (thanks to Whole 30!) but the association of fasting with throwing up (and the fear) remains.
And this fear… usually makes me forget all about Lent. Well… at least to the point where I put it off until the night before, and then panic about what it is that I’m going to give up.
That changes this year.
Several weeks before Lent, I started actually wanting Lent to start. “I can’t wait for fish fries and stations!” Oh boy. Can you say, “retreat high”? I haven’t even been on one in years but after the best Christmas season ever that was how I reacted.
In the last few weeks, my prayers went a little something like this:
“Hi Jesus. It’s me. I’m looking forward to our trip into the desert. What should I bring? You know I like to travel. Furthermore could you please tell me what it is that you’d like me to do during these forty days? Whatever you say is fine, I can’t decide.”
And you know what he said?
Fast.
Woa woa woa hold up.
No way. For real?
Commence fear and trembling (and not the kind the Lord wants to see). I continued to pray about this. “Ok Jesus. Maybe I can consider this. Are you sure? Like are you really sure? I mean this is kind of a big thing for me.”
I’m sure.
So now we’re at the start of Lent. My prayer has changed again. A little less trusting, a little more fearful, a little less laudable:
“Ok Lord. I’m ready. I mean not really ready. But I’m coming into the desert with you anyways. I promise I’ll try to be good and not complain. I’ll tell you right now that I do NOT have the patience, fortitude, strength, endurance or will power required for this. I need your help. You’re the best teacher there is, and I know you love me. Please help me and please hold my hand and please carry me if necessary and please please please be with me. I promise you won’t have to drag me kicking and screaming and I will suck it up and trust you and not be a baby about this.”
I’m pretty sure he saw through my wishful thinking and knows I’m going to fail at this.
I feel like a little kid whose parents are going to climb a mountain. I don’t have the legs to do this but I want to come with them. And like that little kid, I’m going to trust that at some point, my dad’s going to carry me when it gets to be too much.
I know all of this is true, intellectually. Now I just need to make my heart be still.
So… how about you? Are you ready to set out into the desert?
Comment below and let me know what you’re planning to do for Lent.
Tales from the Valley 
I’m uninstalling facebook from my phone. I’ve downloaded some Catholic apps that focus on scripture. I’m going to try to be more present in the moment and to spend more time in prayer and with understanding God’s will for my life.
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I love this! That is wonderful. I went off Facebook completely last year. Now that you bring it up, I might uninstall my app this year too. The quiet it brings is really awesome.
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I remember feeling this way the year I gave up ALL social media (blog, FB, twitter, everything) for Lent…I was scared. But wow, was it fruitful. I will be praying your time of fasting is fruitful.
I just wrote my post about Lent – but my goals are to find a little bit better balance through prayer, fasting from distractions before doing what needs done, and almsgiving. I considered all social media once again, but I’m feeling like God is calling me to figure out a balance, not give it all up and then go right back to it. (Incidentally, when I gave it all up for Lent, I didn’t go right back to it in the same way I had before. I’m just not at all feeling like that’s where He’s calling me right now.)
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Thank you for your prayers! I love your idea of looking for balance. I definitely need to limit my social media better, though I also don’t think I’m being asked to go off of it entirely. I did get a LOT out of going off Facebook last year, and I’ve been using it less ever since.
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I’m giving up TV for Lent, though I do watch LOTR on Sundays. But my evenings and other times of the day are free of TV. I don’t even feel like I watch it that much, but I will say that when I came home tonight, stressed and tired, it was the first thing that I wanted to do!
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That’s a good one. How’s it going for you? I unintentionally cut back on TV a while back (due to my work/commute scheduled) and I’ve found I feel a lot more peaceful in the evenings.
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