Lenten Practice: Ash Wednesday

I woke up this morning without a game plan for Lent. I always wake up on Ash Wednesday without a game plan for Lent.

I was raised in a tradition that didn't do much to observe Lent. Yes, we followed the church calendar and I always knew when it was Lent but we didn't fast or anything. I'm embarrassed to admit that I'd never heard of the tradition of receiving ashes on your forehead until I told a Catholic friend in high school that she had something on her face one Ash Wednesday despite having attended church my whole life. Yes, I'm still cringing. And grateful for her kindness in graciously educating me on what Catholics were up to each Ash Wednesday.

Anyway, this morning I had no plan. But then something stirred. I honestly don't know what but I somehow realized it was Ash Wednesday and by the time I got done explaining Ash Wednesday to my kids, I felt like I should accept the invitation placed before me. Because Lent is an invitation. It's an invitation to spend forty days observing your own sin and being astonished by God's grace in your life. And I don't know about you but I could use more of that.

I've never been good at giving things up but I do think God is continually nudging me to do more. To seek his presence. To stop forgetting that He's running the show. So this Lent, I'm going to spend time each day reading or engaging something that will draw me closer to him.

It's not lofty. It will be a humble practice. I just know that formation is a slow, ceaseless process and it's happening every second of our lives so this Lent, I want to dedicate more of those precious seconds in pursuit of God. That's it.

[Notes + Nuggets from Today]
*As often as practical, I'm going to use this space to jot down quotes or passages that captured my attention as I read. I may or may not include some of my thoughts on them as well. I may also include ideas or quotes that I find helpful or convicting from sermons or podcasts. I expect that it will be a little all over the place.

From When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert:

Page 54-55

"...before the fall, God established four foundational relationships for each person: a relationship with God, with self, with others, and with the rest of creation... These relationships are the building blocks for all of life. When they are functioning properly, humans experience the fullness of life that God intended, because we are being what God created us to be. In particular for our purposes, when these relationships are functioning properly, people are able to fulfill their callings of glorifying God by working and supporting themselves and their families with the fruit of that work."

From She Reads Truth Podcast, Episode 14 - Lent & Looking to the Cross: 
Today, I listened to the She Reads Truth podcast for the first time. Honestly, I'm not sure what prompted it but they were kicking off their Lent study on Jeremiah. I found the conversation to be an approachable and meaningful introduction to Lent and I'll share a few quotes with timestamps here.

24:07 Every day is how often I need to be reoriented to the truth of the gospel and reoriented to God.

24:30 We quit looking for the Lord. That is not our natural default to turn toward God so when we are so far removed that we are not even asking "Where are you?" then it's time for a drastic reorientation of our hearts.

27:02 Wherever our loyalty is, that's what we're going to reflect. So when our loyalty becomes about something other than God, we start reflecting whatever that is.

They closed the episode with a prayer of confession and assurance of pardon. The prayer of confession that they chose is from the Book of Common Prayer and it one of my favorites. I'll close this post with it below.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. - Book of Common Prayer

focus 2016: faith

In 2016, I've decided to pick four areas to focus on: family, faith, wellness, and enough. Yesterday, I shared how I plan to be intentional with my family and today I want to talk about faith.

My faith isn't something that I talk about a lot but it's one of the things that's been most important to me throughout my life. There are times when I'm more and less intentional with my relationship with God but it's foundational and I want to be purposeful about that relationship this year in a way that I haven't been recently.

I have always had a hard time with discernment. What is God trying to tell me? How is He trying to work in my life? How do I know if it's God telling me something or if I just hope that it is? This past fall I started feeling little tugs, little moments when I felt God's presence or saw little reminders of His will. Over and over this was happening, just very small things in the midst of the bustle of returning to work, managing two kids, and trying to keep my sanity. This was the first time where I really felt that all of these small things were definitely God trying to remind me that He is there and that He needs to be at the core of everything I do. 

At the same time, we have been teaching Elia about God, Jesus, and the Bible and teaching her to pray. Praying aloud has always been uncomfortable for me but as we've been teaching her to pray, I've become more comfortable and consistent with my prayers. It's humbling to see what God can teach us through our children.

This year, I'm really looking forward to continuing this journey of spiritual growth and am planning to use the following resources to help me: