Ash Wednesday 2020: Lent & 40 Days of Seeking Him Begins

I have been, or can be if you click on a link and make a purchase, compensated via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value for writing this post. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Happy Ash Wednesday 2019!

Yes, you heard me right! Today is Ash Wednesday and while it marks the start of the penitential season, it is also a time for small celebration in my life. Particularly, because I know that time spent growing closer to God will reap wonderful rewards down the line.

Ash Wednesday Activities

I am thrilled that my high school son and I are up in Alaska. It is most likely the last time we’ll be here during Lent. 

The primary things happening today are Mass in the morning and then the requisite fasting. At Mass, we will receive ashes on our forehead. An outward sign of our Christian life.

After Mass this morning, there is a Bible study I plan to join for the day. 

Then my high schooler is dropped off for the Academic Decathlon competition. And I will be home alone fighting the urge to nibble that seems to get stronger on fast days. Thankfully I can drink all the unsweetened tea I want and plan to do just that.

Plans for Lent

Every year I strive to either make a sacrifice or add to my days in a way that will bring me closer to Christ during this time. The goal is never to do something just to say I am giving it up. Rather, actions taken need to be helping us grow in relationship to Christ.

40 Bags in 40 Days

This year I am seriously considering joining friends in the 40 bags in 40 days challenge. Even though we purged a lot when leaving Colorado for Mississippi, there is still excess. 

And the first few days of Lent have me up in Alaska. In our rental that we plan to vacate in May. So, purging some bags this week is a good preparation for my return here after Easter.

On the surface, this activity appears to just allow us to declutter. To rid myself of some of the chaos of life. Maybe get a cleaner house in the process.

In reality, this activity is about letting go and trusting that our needs will be met by our heavenly Father. Needs, not wants. 

During the process I may receive a cleaner house. And be able to bless others through donations. But more important is letting go of possessions so they do not possess us.

It’ll be hard. I have hoarder wannabes in the house. And I come from a long line of practical people who repurposed and reused things until there was no life in them. 

But, in the end, the short term pain of parting with things will be worth the long term results.

While that is a NEW thing to do this year, I am still holding tight with some of my past choices.

Spending Fast

This component is two-fold.

First, it helps me sleep a little better at night when money isn’t flying out of the bank account as fast as it goes in.

Secondly, we can become more generous with our financial resources when spending is in check.

Moving from Colorado to Mississippi helped to lower some of our expenses. However, we still have a smaller rental unit up in Anchorage where my college son lives and we ‘crash’ during our trips up there.  Plus, my trips back up there get expensive quickly when all the boys insist on going. And that move was on our own dime (or should I say thousands of dollars!) 

In Colorado I helped bridge the gap by working at a hotel full time. Job options in our new Mississippi hometown are quite limited and pay far less than Colorado jobs did. Just a few more months of 2 places to pay on and then life will be better in the financial realm. Doing odd jobs here and there is okay for me to do. But, my husband and boys no longer want me working nights and weekends like I was.

Even though it is tight, I refuse to give up our weekly church donations. After all, we are supposed to be tithing from our bounty as it really is all God’s. I am praying that I can not only get our finances back in better shape but have some left to go towards our beloved Alaskan church’s Go Fund Me to cover earthquake damages. Repair work is underway there and they don’t have all the financial resources to cover it.

Daily Mass and Increased Prayer

When in Alaska, this is an easy thing for me to do. I feel like I am ‘fed’ spiritually every time I enter the building. It doesn’t matter if it is daily Mass in the morning or a Bible study afterwards. I am constantly learning and growing.

In Mississippi, this isn’t so much the case. I do plan to attend the Wednesday night Mass held during faith formation. But, any personal growth will be done at home. Given the lack of good homilies (if one at all) at our new parish, I may be visiting online resources for that much desired growth.

Caring for My Temple

Even though I am home more, making the time to get physical activity is a challenge. I am planning to set alarms to get up and move to increase my steps each day. And, I am starting to track my water consumption again.

Anything I do for this aspect of life keeps an eye on my my wacky immune system issues.

After all, we are told to treat our bodies as Temples of the Holy Spirit.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” 1 Corinthians 6:19

40 Days of Seeking Him Ash Wednesday Link Up

The linky will be up each week so you can add in posts daily, weekly, or whenever you are able.

The posts can be about anything related to Lent and preparations for Easter. This includes crafts, food, devotions, music or reflections.

I hope that my readers will join us on the journey through Lent as we seek to grow closer to Christ. Christian bloggers are welcome to join us in the weekly link up with posts that they are writing to showcase activities or reflections taken during this Lenten journey.

We are expanding the platform for this meme to include a 40 Days of Seeking Him Pinterest board for submitted posts and a Facebook group.  I hope that you’ll check out the Pinterest board and join us on Facebook, too, as we seek to grow closer to Christ.