2019 was a year of transition. Personally, most of my focus was given to my relationship with the man who started 2019 as my boyfriend, became my fiancé and ended it as my husband. There was obviously an amount of adjusting in those seasons. Professionally, my church also entered into a season of transition with leadership changes which we are still in the midst of seeing through. And in other spaces of my life there was too much going on for me to comment much publicly. I still wrote a lot and someday those pieces may see the light of the internet, but not right now.
For now, we pick back up here with Lent and some resources that I’ve chosen to help me focus my observation of Lent.
Every year, Lent looks a little different for me. Some years I join up with a community to observe in a specific way. Other years I’ve needed to seek specific answers and voices in my life and so I observe it more personally. And some years, if I’m honest, Lent sneaks up on me because of the busyness of Advent leading into the Retreat season into the never ending February.
This year though, I’m feeling a sense of fatigue from all the aforementioned transitional seasons. I’m also feeling a need to take deeper roots in my faith and hopefully grow through this season. I’ve prayerfully considered how to dive in with Lent this year, and I’ve come up with a short list of resources I’m planning on using. Feel free to join me!
Here’s What I’m Adding In:
I kept seeing this book pop up in my various timelines and decided this was just what I needed for this season. Justice work can be very tiring. As can living as a person of color in today’s America. Both of those realities in my life have made me realize that I need to do a better job of filling up my bucket with voices from POC and especially WOC. This 40 day devotional is just what I was hopeful for. I’ll be reading this to start my day Monday – Saturdays of Lent.
This is a new Lenton resource by Erin Moon, who I follow on Instagram. I’m intrigued by her voice and the use of the book of Ecclesiastes in her study. She’s created this devotional for all the days of Lent (47 days in total) and is also including an audio version that you can put in your podcast app. So I’m doing that and each day I will listen to the episode while I’m driving.
Here’s what I’m hoping to maintain:
Exercise (via our Peloton bike)
I’ve spent the last few months digging into working out on a Peloton bike that my husband had before we got married. It’s been a pretty life changing move for me to dedicate space and time in my week to riding the bike. Exercise has always been a way for me to get out of my head and work out my anxiousness or unease. I’m hopeful to continue doing this practice 3-4 times per week.
Cooking with my husband
We’ve found this really fun rhythm of cooking alongside of each other at least three times a week. On these nights, we talk about life and work while we cook and then enjoy a healthy, home cooked meal together. It’s been a good rhythm to keep us connected and trying new things.
Here’s what I’m “giving up:”
Guilt surrounding boundaries around unhealthy/unsafe spaces
This one is obviously less measurable than the others. But I’ve noticed that in 2019, I spent a lot of time feeling guilty about needing to enforce more boundaries in my life. The boundaries started as a necessary coping mechanism and my literal lack of extra space and capacity. But I’ve noticed that while the boundaries have made me a healthier person, I often feel guilty about prioritizing my own mental and emotional health. So my hope in this season is to say goodbye to that guilt. I’ll be doing this through prayer and journaling through those feelings. My hope for this is to stop the thought pattern before it takes hole. We’ll see how that goes!
Feel free to join me in any of these practices, or leave a comment on what you’re practicing this year! Follow me on Instagram as we journey this season together!