Take up Something Positive for Lent

Giving something up for Lent is a Christian practice that is supposed to remind us of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. But that sacrifice was to show us how much God loves us. So I bet God would be OK if, instead of giving something up for Lent, we used the Lenten season to take up something positive.

This year I’m going find something positive that I can add to my daily routine during Lent. Want to join me? Here are some ideas:

• Do one act of kindness every day. Cami Walker gave one thing away for 29 days in a row, so you might want to join the 29-Day Giving Challenge to get you started (and for some ideas!).
• Make a Lenten gratitude journal by writing about one thing you are grateful for every day.
• Pick one of your strengths and find a way to use it every day. A friend of mine likes photography and at one point she set a goal to take one good picture every day.
• Contact a friend or loved one every day. Use Lent as a time to reconnect with people you haven’t heard from in a while. You can send a short email asking how they are or pick up the phone and call the ones who are especially dear to you.
• Read a Lenten devotion every day.
• Find time to meditate every day. Ten to 15 minutes counts!
• Do some form of exercise every day. It could be a short walk around the block or doing sit-ups while you watch American Idol, but it has to be every day!
• Make sure you get 8 hours of sleep every night. You’ll have to be careful to stop pinning photos to Pinterest in time to get to bed at least 8 hours before you have to wake up.
• Eat veggies every day. I have suggested to my children that they should take up eating at least one vegetable every day. I think they’d rather give something up!