Lent

I'm 57 but didn't actually start practicing Lent until I was 55. You see, I wasn't raised in churches that practiced Lent, and then I left the church for about 20 years, so I didn't practice anything churchy for a couple of decades. 

Since I've written about my spiritual journey in previous posts, I won't go into all of that now, but to make a long story short, I've only been practicing Lent for 3 years. 

What is Lent?   "...the 40-day Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday – it ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. The word Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon lencten, meaning spring. Lent is traditionally a time for repentance, self-reflection, and recalibrating ourselves spiritually. It is a time when we practice spiritual disciplines in an intentional and concerted effort to grow closer to God in our faith."

Probably because I entered Lent a little late in the game of life, I wasn't fully aware of all of the logistics, but somehow, I learned that you could choose to give up something AND/OR choose to do something to help you grow spiritually during the Lenten season, so for Lent 2024, I chose to do a spiritual reading each day. Looking back, I picked a pretty deep book, and I still don't think I've ever made it all the way through that book. 

For last year's Lent (2025), I commited to going to church every Sunday during Lent AND to reading a daily devotional which usually included a written response. I definitely think that last year's Lent had a positive effect on me because, since then, I've actually joined the church. Prior to last year, I hadn't been a member of a church in many, many years, so even though joining a church might not mean much to some people, it's significant to me.

For Lent this year, I decided to do a partial Digital Detox and give up playing games on my phone (and all other electronic devices) during the Lenten season. Why? I'd been noticing that I was spending an excessive amount of time playing games on my phone: Wordle, Connections, Strands, Bingo, Block Puzzle, and varieties of Solitaire. Therefore, I decided that for Lent, I would try to spend time reading books that might help me grow spiritually instead of wasting so much time playing games on my phone. 

During this 2026 Lenten season, I've been reading Faith After Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What to Do About It by Brian D. McLaren, Liturgies for Resisting the Empire by Kat Armas, and God Didn't Make Us to Hate Us: 40 Devotions to Liberate Your Faith from Fear and Reconnect with Joy by Rev. Lizzie McManus-Dail. I have The Bible Tells Me So...Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It by Peter Enns on Audio and have started listening to it more than once, but I'm realizing that I do better with hard copies, so I can hold them, mark them up, highlight them, slow the reading down, etc.

So, how has Lent 2026 been for me? Well, I'd say I'm definitely reading more than I was, and I highly recommend these books! I'll, also, admit that it's still tough when I'm in the car to not be able to pull out my phone and waste some time playing Solitaire. (I'm just trying to be honest!)  However, a friend told me on Saturday that Sundays are free days during Lent, so I gave myself permission to play Block Puzzle while watching tv last night. I do have to be honest those games are addictive. As a result, I've, also, realized that I probably need to monitor my game time ALL the time...not just during Lent. My name is Vicki, and I'm a Wordle-a holic.

If you've been practicing Lent, I hope it's been meaningful. If you don't practice Lent, I hope you've been enjoying your days, as well. May we all grow into love for one another.