This is the third post of my Lent Series, here is the first post Lent is the Beginning of Change.
Every wonder why when winter ends and spring is about to begin, we have this urge to purge everything useless out of our lives and start again fresh?
This sudden urge that we feel is not in our heads, but we are really being called to clean out our lives and straighten everything up. Deep down, we know that there are things that we strayed away from that we would like to get back to, and there are things that we would like move away from (such as a bad habit).
So it is no surprise that Lent and easter both fall during this time of year when our bodies and minds are seeking to change. There is something refreshing about the power of Spring, and how it causes you to smile longer, and be kinder to others.
As for myself, I have noticed that there are several things that I was doing, that affected my family life. Instead of waiting for the evenings to log online and surf the web, I found myself stealing time from my family during the day to do so. My promise during lent is to stop messing with my laptop while my children are awake. So, I’m writing this post as my daughter is napping.
I realize that what I needed to change was my behavior, I can’t say that I didn’t have time in the day to play more with her, or to read her more books. The truth was, I didn’t want to because I wanted to do something for me. What I realize is that I need to carve “me” time, out of time that exists, but I cannot take time away from my children.
While I’m “giving up” my laptop and in a sense my connection to the world, what I’m gaining is precious time with my family. I have come to a better understanding of how I operate in these 3 days of following through with my lent promise.
Looking at my daughter, I can tell she appreciates it. She doesn’t try to pry the phone out of my hands, or push me away from my laptop, instead she’s moving about with me, helping me do some household chores, and reads her books with me.
This lent is about starting again, and getting a better grip of your situation. Is there something that you would like to change? Here are questions that you can think about. Remember, it’s never too late to give up something or to try to be better.
- What is keeping me from getting closer to family/friends/religion?
- What is distracting me in life?
- By removing one of the distractions, what do I hope to gain?
As we spend time to do some spring cleaning, let us not forget to clean our minds and bodies as we clean our homes.
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