Lent

Growing up as a non-denominational Christian, I had not heard a lot about Lent aside from my friends at school giving up chocolate for a few weeks before Easter. I thought of it as just another one of those things Catholics do that other Christians don't think about. It was not until getting to college and meeting other Protestant believers who actually did practice Lent that I decided to give it a try. I began to see it as a time to either give something up or add something to my life in order to help me focus on my relationship with God and grow in my faith.

With this in mind, I have recently (the last year or so) been interested in learning more about the history and current practice of Christian tradition/ritual. Of course I haven't done anything about that interest yet [insert homework excuse here] but hopefully I will have some time after graduating to start exploring these themes. I took a "Christianity through the 15th century" class last term to start this process, but in the whirlwind of an overloading term I didn't really soak much in.

In the brief encounters with Christian history I've had, I have begun to see traditions and rituals as opportunities to feel connected with a body of believers that spans back roughly 2000 years. I see it also as a way of making my faith part of my daily practices and lifestyle. Through several experiences such as that class I mentioned, attending an Episcopalian church, reading a bit about the Mass and following a few Catholic bloggers, I have just gotten my feet wet with this interesting subject. I don't see ritual as a necessary part of the Christian life by any means, but I see it as a beautiful thing and potentially enriching to my walk with God. So in comes Lent and my attempt to focus on God more in these next 46 days.

This Lenten season I want to work on discipline in starting my day. I keep trying to make a pattern for myself of reading the Bible and journaling/praying in the mornings, but that always gets cut short because I am running late (can't...stop...sleeping...). Now I want to break that cycle - so for Lent I am giving up my snooze button! I will get up and moving when I intended to the night before so that I don't miss out on my daily time with the Lord.

eeeek...

...but worth it! 

Do you observe Lent? If so, how?