Today is Ash Wednesday. This begins the church season of Lent. For those who may not be aware, Lent is the season of contemplation that marks the 40 days before the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ during Holy Week and on Easter.

When I was young and Catholic, I used to give things up for Lent.  I can recall years of giving up gum, candy, and other treats. Even as a young adult I would find something I needed to cut back on and set goals to do so during Lent. Now that I am Episcopalian, I don’t feel quite so compelled (thank you, Catholic guilt) to give up things. And this year, specifically, I have decided to do something instead.

I have been doing a lot of self-reflection lately. It goes with the MSCP territory! (Master of Science in Counseling Psychology) I am working on myself a lot and trying hard to be a much better person than I have been in the past. To support that, I have set the following goal for myself during Lent:

I want to improve my attitude towards those with whom I struggle.

That’s it!  I seek to give the people who tend to ‘push my buttons’ more grace and to respond to them with kindness. It will definitely be challenging. I am going to have to set multiple reminders on my phone to stop being snarky and to focus on seeing each individual as a person and child of God.

So, who’s with me?

Certainly Lent is a very personal thing. Maybe to  you it just means easy access to some seriously kick-ass fish sandwiches every Friday. Or perhaps you want to change a behavior and will use the structure of Lent to do so. It is also quite possible you don’t give two hoots about Lent. That’s okay too! But if you are seeking something to do during this season of introspection, consider joining me. I already have one accountability partner in this journey (Thank you, Rachael!) and more are always welcome!

Let me know what your thoughts are on Lent, giving things up, change or just the fact that we had less than 48 hours of snow before it all melted! Whatever you feel like sharing–just do it!