How are you doing this Lent? If you’ve kept your resolution perfectly, please tell me your secret.
Lent never goes like you imagine. You don’t always pray like you planned. Sometimes you break your resolution without even thinking. Other times, you justify bending your resolution juuust a little — or flat-out breaking it.
But that’s no reason to quit!
If you slip, here’s how to keep going.
Tell yourself why you’re doing this.
We don’t pray, fast and give alms just for kicks and giggles. It’s got a greater purpose: to heal your relationship with God.
To stay faithful to your Lenten resolution, keep that greater purpose up front in your mind. Better yet, say it out loud — especially in moments when the urge to fudge or break your resolution overwhelms you.
Adjust if necessary.
Lent is a time to challenge yourself. But it’s not a time to burden yourself.
If you’ve bitten off more than you can chew this year, it’s okay to adjust. You’re not admitting defeat. (See the next point.) For example, maybe reading Scripture for 10 minutes works better than forcing yourself to read it for 20. And if going cold turkey on coffee has turned you into a grouch who can’t focus on work, you can limit “no coffee” to certain days a week until Easter.
Cling to God.
When we fall short of our spiritual goals, we want to hide it from God. Why? Because we couldn’t do it on our own?
Yet that’s the whole point of Lent: We can’t do it on our own.
We’re weak. We slip. The more you rely on your own willpower, the worse you’ll slip. And the worse you’ll feel.
But the more you cling to God — which is the purpose of prayer, fasting and almsgiving — the more He pours His strength into you! Lent reminds us that we’re weak, not to get us down but to remind us of God’s perfect mercy. He told St. Paul: “My power is made perfect in your weakness.” That goes for you too.
Let’s finish Lent strong!
Good news: Holy Week is almost here. You got this! Or more precisely, with God you got this!
