Intentional Living: Bringing Lent into Your Daily Rhythms

This week marks the first full week of Lent, which began last Wednesday. Whether it is a tradition celebrated in your church community, I wanted to touch upon it. It’s purpose, rooted in the 40 days Jesus was tempted in the desert, can have a rich and powerful impact for us if we’re intentional.

I wanted to share a few ways my family has celebrated this season in the past. If any of them strike a chord with you, I would encourage you to pray about incorporating them into your rhythms until Easter.

Simplify: This one can range from eating simpler foods a few nights a week to de-cluttering our hearts, minds or homes. Sometimes we have participated in a Daniel-fast style of eating. Other times we’ve temporarily taken down extra decor until Easter. It is a sweet thing to live simply and then to recognize how grand our lives really are when we take time to pause all the extra and realize how much we have in the first place.

Fasting: Traditionally, fasting means abstaining from food for a period of time either or a single meal or over a day to several days. Nowadays, we have so much excess that fasting can also be helpful when applied to limiting social media, news or shopping.

Reflection: I have found that sometimes adding something wholesome into our routines is more helpful than merely taking something less helpful away. One addition is taking more intentional time than usual each day to quiet ourselves before the Lord and reflect on His Word and character. Spending intentional time like this tends to magnify the Lord in our lives and minimize the noise of the world.

I hope some of these encouraged some of you reading this to try one or have a creative spin on them for yourselves! If you have other traditions and would be willing to share, please comment below!