Welcome to the Wilderness!

I confess that I have a bit of an anticipatory feeling toward Lent.  It's a season for reflection, self-denial, prayer, and, as I learned last year, giving.  It's a way, I often hope, to be better.  And, I prefer Lent to New Year's for setting these sorts of "be better" goals. 

New Year seems to come so suddenly - it's just a turn of a page and then we're off full speed into the next year. Lent, on the other hand, is more gradual. It's a concrete period, instead of this nebulous year that goes along with resolutions. I feel comfortable saying, "I will try this for the next 40 (46) days and then we'll see what happens."  I enjoy the promise of a feast. Lent, seems to me, much more deliberate and reflective than changing the calendar. And it feels heavier, more traditioned. Clearer, perhaps.

Of course, there are some similarities -  Fat Tuesday is not too unlike New Year's Eve in its revelry and splurge. But I think there's a difference between the solemnity of Ash Wednesday and the awakening New Year's Day. Both hold promises. There's a sense of a chance for starting over, improving, and reconciliation. They can both be full of hope!

And so, I enter this Lenten season hopeful.  I do plan to abstain from a few things - notably "added" sugar products, which I've developed a bit of an addiction to. But I hope also to use this as a time to re-balance my priorities a bit and where I spend my time. This year has been rougher than I'd like in that regard, with multiple active work projects and deadlines piled one after another. And, I want to look at how I serve, not just in time spent but in attitude. I also hope, and this one falls a bit to that question of balancing priorities, that I can be a bit more intentional in my study.

What goals will you set for the upcoming 40 days?

Image from Kirk in the Hills, http://www.kirkinthehills.org/worship/ash-wednesday-service