L.E.N.T.

Lent has officially begun and for many Catholics (and other flavors of Christian) that means a period of reflection, self-discipline, and prayer.  

More commonly this plays out as a time of giving things up, not eating meat on Fridays, and trying to 'do better'.  

For many years of my life I don't think I fully grasped the point of Lent. Or rather, I didn't fully see how the things I did or gave up for Lent (saying extra prayers, giving up coffee or sweets) deepened my personal connection with the Creator. I was mostly just counting down those 40 days until Easter.  

Over the past year or so the way I view spirituality, religion, and their associated practices has shifted considerably. 

I've found that the generalized blanket concepts, enticements and threats of these areas don't actually benefit me as much as they could. And I'm willing to bet that if I feel this way, there are plenty of others that do as well.

So, with that in mind, I'll offer a few alternative approaches and perspectives to consider as we pass through this Lenten season - or, let's be real, life in general...

Sin doesn't exist unless judgment is present
What would change for you if 'sins' were viewed as lessons to be learned?
As opportunities for us to grow in understanding of ourselves and consciously choose which actions we want to carry out going forward, rather than judge and condemn ourselves?  

In every moment we have the opportunity to decide if what we are doing is what we want to continue doing. We get to assess and reflect on how it makes us feel, impacts others, and if that is how we want to be and show up in life. If it isn't, then change direction - there is nothing to be ashamed of or judged for that. That's part of learning.

Love for God = Love for Self
What if you didn't need to be 'saved'?
What if you just needed to reconnect to yourself - and thus, God? 

Imagine how much more you could feel and 'see' God's love if you loved yourself.

"Well, that's silly, of course I love myself!" 

Then I'll ask you this, how kind are you to yourself?
How often do you notice your flaws or inadequacies?
How often do you focus on your lack?  

You see, God doesn't see lack.
Because God didn't make you lacking anything.
You were made completely whole.
Yet, as we age in our world, this wholeness often gets chiseled away by the words, actions, and even beliefs of others - of those who came before us. 

We were handed down and taught thoughts and beliefs created long ago, but we weren't [explicitly] taught how to think about them consciously. We weren't taught to connect our thoughts, intuition, and body cues to discern what is uniquely true for us.

So, what if our goal this Lenten season - and all goals in life - started with ourselves?  

What if our intentions were to learn more about ourselves and, thus, who we really are?
God is calling us to be just that - Us.

Lent may be the name of a yearly religious period but it can mean so much more.

L.E.N.T.

Because Life Experiences Necessitate Transformation
And when we Let Experiences Naturally Transform 
we are then able to fully embrace and Live Every New Transition
And when judgment is absent and acceptance is present, we are able to Love Every New Transition.

May we all L.E.N.T. - in this season and every season.