Minus 1 Plus 3 = Lent Math
What I'm Doing for Lent
The purpose of Lent is not to force on us a few formal obligations, but to soften our hearts so that it may open itself to the realities of the spirit, to experience the hidden thirst for communion with God.
John Paul II
I’m feeling expectant for the beginning of Lent tomorrow. I use the word expectant intentionally. I want to enter this season with rhythms, routines, and prayers that put me in an expectant state of mind with less distraction and more listening. I’m excited to see what the Holy Spirit has in store for me.
As is a common practice for many, I’m giving up something for Lent, and that something is Instagram. (I gave up Facebook a long time ago with the exception of checking the Happier Camper Owner’s Group.)
Giving up social media isn’t anything original. I’m riding a wave with lots of other folks. Originally, I was going to give it up for a year, but I struggle with being an all-or-nothing girl. I want to try it for forty days and hope I stay off for longer.
Why am I giving up Instagram? I’m letting the Instagram algorithm dictate the content I consume. Since I choose the people I spend time with, the books I read, and the shows I watch, I figure it’s good to have some agency in the images I pour into my brain from a platform that’s designed to be addictive.
More importantly, I waste too much time scrolling. I’ve tried setting specific social media hours, days of the week, and limits on my phone, but that hasn’t been successful. I still find a way to scroll. And I feel crappy after I do it.
My word of the year is JOY and social media certainly isn’t cultivating JOY in my life so bye-bye for now.
Lent is also a season of adding something to my life and I’ve thought of three things I want to do during this season. I’m giving myself grace. If I do one of these each day, I’m good. More is considered a bonus and blessing.
Sit in silence for at least five minutes in the early morning expectant and listening. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything I need to hear. (Ideally, I’d love to do this at sunrise. I took at look at the sunrise tables for March and this is the perfect time to set myself up for success. Due to daylight savings time, the sun rises at reasonable times!) I plan on ending my silent time with brief journal notes and a Lent devotional written by Kate Bowler within her book, Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day!
Walk without a podcast or audiobook in my ears, aware of my breath and the beauty of all that’s outside. Usually, I only associalte walking with workouts and raised heartrates. I’d like to approach these walks like strolls that help me sort and clarify my thinking.
“It is solved by walking.” – St. Augustine. 'Solvitur ambulando'
Stop working at sunset and go outside. Give thanks for the day and head into evening under the influence of William Stafford’s words, “carry into evening all you want from this day.”
If you observe Lent, what are you doing (or not doing) this season?
I’ll leave you with this joyful thought that’s appropriate for any of us approaching Easter: It’s Whopper’s Robin Egg season.
Thank God I didn’t give up sugar for Lent.
I dusted off my liturgy of the hours book-- I've been praying with the app, praying badly. So I decided for Lent to go back to the physical book. And it's been wonderfully restful.
I'm trying to spend less time on the computer and more time reading physical books and more time writing. To that end I'm trying to copy out at least one poem a day-- some days I've copied three or four or more--it's easy to copy a bunch of haiku. And also I'm trying to include copying some Psalms, but not setting myself a goal for exactly how often I will do that. And also I am trying to handwrite more of my own poems and to copy quotes from books into notebooks. Basically to spend more of my writing life with a pen in my hand instead of the keyboard.
But definitely not eschewing the keyboard. In fact, one of my Lenten practices is to try to leave more comments on Substack posts, especially to say something substantial about other people's poems. To spread more of that particular joy in the world of having a reader take notice and respond. Especially on posts with very few comments.
With my kids I'm reading Malcom Guite's collection of poems and meditations The Word in the Wilderness. We read it last year too and I love it so much. The book was sent by a friend who said I should pass it on to someone else and I will try to do that eventually, but I think first I need to spend a few more Lents with it.
I join you in all those things. Since I don’t look at Instagram much, I’m okay leaving it be.
I enjoy your thoughts, Lorrie.