A Lenten approach

"...it was only necessary to to forget oneself and to love others in order to be at peace, happy and lovely." - Leo Tolstoy, "Anna Karenina"

Appropriately enough, I read this on Ash Wednesday. And I really think that this is at least part of the spirit of Lent.

Lent is traditionally a time to sacrifice in preparation for Easter. But why? Part of it has to do with sharing in the suffering of Christ. I think the most important feature, however, is the refocusing on Christ that occurs during this time, the forgetting of oneself. Sacrificing tv, the internet, or dinners is pretty meaningless if you just fill that time with other inconsequential things. But if you take that time to read the Bible, reflect on Jesus, serve others or just generally forget about yourself, I think you'll find Lent to be a much more rewarding and refreshing time.

And that is my goal for this year's Lenten season: to be refreshed in my relationship with Christ. I want to think less about myself and more about Him and others. On Easter Sunday, I want to celebrate more joyfully than ever, because I have an even greater understanding and appreciation for what that day means to me.

I have also decided to use Lent as an example of a way that I can improve my motivation to write. The idea of fasting from certain distractions for a period of time in order to give myself more time to write seems like a pretty perfect idea. In that spirit, I will be using some of the time provided by my Lenten fasting to work on my writing. If all goes well, I'll come up with a plan to continue that strategy after Easter.

Happy Lenting!