My thoughts on lent...

Confession: I'm a bit of a lent scrooge. I love Jesus but I have a hard time with the lent season because "religious people" come out of the woodwork when Ash Wednesday hits and that kind of bothers me. "What are you giving up for lent?" "Pop and sweets." "Oh, so you're going on a diet and saying that it's for Jesus and then are going to pretend He doesn't exist come Easter? That's big of you..." That's the response I want to give people… but I don't.

My feelings about lent aren't right. They are just as bad as the person half heartedly giving up chocolate chip cookies and Dr. Pepper for the next 40 days. So I'm trying to have a change of heart. My friend Nancy and I were talking about lent the other day and she shared this article with me about lent. It's pretty basic, but reminded me of the good side of lent. 10 Ideas For Keeping Lent - if you're interested.

Then my friend Jessie showed me this idea that she saw to pray and write letters to 40 people for the lent season. Rather than giving something up, you are doing something - being diligent in prayer and encouraging God's people. I loved the idea so I am going for it. I'm a few days late, but I'm excited to start. Tomorrow I plan on spending some time at a coffee shop to catch up on my missed days. What a cool idea...

You can read more about the 40 Notes in 40 Days. And if you are a lent scrooge like me, I encourage you to keep an open mind and let God use this time in your life to grow you just like the other 325 days of the year.