Lent starts in 2 days. It is traditional for Catholics to do penance of some kind. This could mean giving something up, like candy, or doing something extra, like praying.
In the past few years, I have been a dismal failure at Lent. I have goals and plans and don't manage to carry them out. I only had 2 goals last Lent, read a book and something else. I didn't manage either.
The year before wasn't too bad. I did the Busted Halo Fast, Pray, Give challenge. At least when I messed that up, I had the next day to start all over. Kind of like Confession.
Now the Lent I came back to being Catholic was good because I set the bar really low: go to Mass every Sunday. Happily, Lent made that a habit. Then the school year ended. And I got a dog. Who howled when left alone. :/
I'm trying to decide what I should do for Lent this year. There are a great many shoulds I could do. I think I'm going to give the Fast Pray Give Challenge another go. This year maybe I need to focus on the last 2. In years past I've only focused on fast. Praying is not my forte. It turns into a horrid self pitying whine and laundry list of how my life utterly sucks. Or I merge prayers together. Let's not subject God to that again.
I know I need to get my spending under control. So maybe I will focus on that.
I spoke with a an old friend yesterday. She lives in another state and I haven't seen her in 5 years. We've grown apart but I can count on her for advice. She was like you are at a decision point in your life. You have to make a decision. It doesn't mean that you can't change the decision later. It doesn't mean that there won't be an exit point later, you can always exist if the decision is not right. I have a tendency to let others make decisions for me or to let decisions make themselves. I'm terrified of making the wrong decision, which is a topic for another day. I need to think about what I am going to do. Although I feel like sometimes all I do is think. Maybe I need to take action.
I have 40 days. What will I do with them?
1 comment:
Try talking to God as if He were your best friend and He was right there with you. Because He is. Whine if you need to. Peter encourages us to cast ALL our anxieties upon Him because He cares about us (1 Peter 5:7).
Maybe that could be your Lenten penance, although it wouldn't feel penitential after awhile!
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