Deborah Conner,
Interim Associate Pastor for Outreach
We are now in the first week of Lent which traditionally through the centuries has been a forty-day period of fasting and repentance in preparation for the celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday.
This is typically a time when we think about giving up something or adding something new to our lives out of devotion to Jesus Christ.
If you are planning to give something up or take on something new, I recently I read an article that offered a list of things that I hope will be helpful to you.
14 things you might consider giving up this Lent and Beyond
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- Fear. Over and over again in scripture we are asked to not be afraid. God is with us.
- The need to please everyone. Is this even possible? We seek to please God.
- Envy.
- Impatience.
- Sense of entitlement. Seek to live with humility and grace.
- Bitterness and Resentment. Who do we really hurt when we don’t forgive?
- Blame. Take responsibility for your actions.
- Gossip and negativity.
- Comparison. We are all unique in the eyes of God.
- Fear of failure. You don’t succeed without experiencing failure. Just make sure you fall forward.
- A spirit of poverty. There is always more than enough and never a lack.
- Feelings of unworthiness. (see Psalm 139)
- Pride. Blessed are the humble.
- Worry. Live in the present moment. No amount of worry is going to change tomorrow.
(Adapted and taken from Ponder These Things, by Fr. Keith Derouen, 2/16/2017)
There may be other things you want to give up this Lent or new practices and habits you want to add to your daily life. Whatever you may choose, I hope that our spiritual journey to the cross this year will help each of us draw closer to God and one another.
Blessings to you and yours.
