With Wednesday being Ash Wednesday, we have now entered into the season of Lent. For Christians, Lent is a time of prayer and preparation ahead of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on Good Friday. What this looks like for each Christian depends largely on the denomination of Christianity to which he or she belongs.
My story
For me, personally, Lent has always been a bit complicated. I was raised, and continue to identify as, a Presbyterian. From Kindergarten through 12th grade, however, I attended Catholic school. Although Presbyterians celebrate Lent, the focus is on prayer and introspection without hard and fast rules. Catholics, on the other hand, have strict rules that govern the season of Lent. Typically, these rules consist of fasting on Fridays (not eating meat) and giving something up for the 40 days of Lent. I struggled for years with what felt to me like the right way to mark the Lenten season.
Especially as I grew older and eventually was no longer immersed in the Catholic tradition, I found limited utility in the idea of giving something up for 40 days. It felt empty to me to abstain from chocolate or cookies for a few weeks. I’m sure it works for some people, but I just felt like I needed another way to bring my heart closer to where it needed to be to appreciate Jesus’ sacrifice and get the most out of Holy Week (the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday).
When in doubt, I usually take a page from my mom’s book. And that’s exactly what I did when establishing my current Lenten tradition. She worked at the school I attended for many years, so she too was a Presbyterian surrounded by Catholics during Lent. Her Lenten tradition was to do something nice for someone every day of Lent. This way of celebrating Lent focuses on bringing Jesus and how he taught us to act toward one another to the forefront of your day for 40 days. I can’t think of much better ways to get your heart ready to accept his sacrifice, so I have adopted my mom’s Lenten tradition as my own.
It may not be as easy as abstaining from soda for 40 days, but you can easily incorporate acts of love and service into your days during Lent. I encourage you to try, using some of the strategies I’ve used over the years. What’s the worst that can happen? You help someone and you feel a little warm and fuzzy inside yourself.
How can you celebrate Lent by being nice?
Look for opportunities to celebrate Lent in your daily life
When you’re looking at a 40-day commitment to anything, it can feel daunting. But doing something nice for another person every day is really not that hard. Just keep your eyes open as you go about your daily life. Maybe you can grab a coffee for your officemate as you grab yours in the morning. Or pay for the person behind you in the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru as you get your kids mac and cheese for dinner for the third night this week. It can even be as simple as picking up some garbage that didn’t quite make it to the bin at the park or rounding up some stray carts at the grocery store. Anything that you recognize as something that would help someone else or put a smile on someone else’s face counts. This really can be an easy way to celebrate Lent.
Plan one larger act of service
If you can, it’s nice to plan one larger act of service during Lent. This can be a huge thing like take a mission trip, but it really can just be something that takes a little bit more planning than your daily, spontaneous acts. I like to include one intentional act of service in my Lenten celebration to make sure I have a time to really focus on prayer. If you are in a season that really does not accommodate anything that requires a plan, don’t feel pressured to include a larger act of service in your Lenten observation.
My plan this year is to go through my house and gather up all the linens that aren’t currently in use and get them to an animal shelter during Lent. I’m not talking about moving mountains here, but it does take a little forethought and research, so it’s a little more intentional than the random acts of kindness I’ll rely on for much of the Lenten season.
Make a monetary donation if you can
Another pillar of Lent that doesn’t get as much airtime as meatless Fridays and personal sacrifice is almsgiving. There are no laws around how much money you should give or to whom during Lent, so this practice is very dependent on your personal circumstances. Give as much or as little as you can give to a cause that has meaning to you.
You can think globally or locally, whatever is on your heart. Some ideas include:
- People in war-torn areas like Gaza or Ukraine
- Initiatives that provide access to clean water
- Medical aid
- Assistance to the unhoused
- Church ministries
- Local libraries and fire departments
- Animal rescues
- Women’s shelters for domestic violence survivors
There are so many worthy causes out there, and they would all be appreciative of whatever donation you can give.
Include your kids
Kids, especially the youngest among us, really learn best by following the examples of others. What better way to teach your kids about Lent and the coming sacrifice than to include them in your Lenten observance. The concept of Jesus dying on a cross for the sins of the world to then conquer death is a lot for young kids to handle, but even my 1-year-old can understand doing nice things for people. Include your kids in your acts of kindness and take the opportunity to talk to them about how Jesus treated others, the Golden Rule, and other important concepts. They will be more receptive to these lessons while they’re actively living them out, and they’ll get a kick out of doing special things for others because it feels good to be good!
I hope you all have a wonderful season of Lent and you find the best way for you and your family to celebrate.