When was the last time you tried something new?

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Originally an ancient jewish tradition, the Christian Church adopted this ritual of placing ashes on one's forehead to remember their mortality and offer repentance at the helm of Pope Gregory I.

Today is Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras; depending on your tradition. A time to use up all the fat within the household to prepare for fasting, a time to prepare for the season of repentance, or a time to celebrate the life given to us through festive parades, king cake, and the like.

Typically, in today's culture, one indulges in order to give something up. In modern times, the practice of giving up certain food items, caffiene, social media, and entertainment isn't rooted in the practices of discipline, prayer, and growing in faith. Growing up, members of my youth group would give up soda, chocolate, or something similar almost like a bet; to see who could outlast one another. There wasn't much prayer going on, nor was there a whole lot of practicing of alms giving (using the funds you would spend on one item to help others).

In my world today, I no longer encourage giving up something that is consumable. If someone asks me what they should give up, my ideas often include things like negativity, anger, resentment, etc. Those items are actions & reactions to the way that we are treated and the way we treat others. No less difficult than giving up my daily coffee; but a lot harder to not gossip, to not have negative thoughts when someone has done me wrong, etc.

This year, I have decided my focus is to try something new and introduce it as part of my daily routine. For too long, I've let other things (job hours, finances, my self- esteem) dictate what I think I can & cannot accomplish. I'm not thin enough for pilates; I'll just look silly and hurt myself. I'm not strong enough for yoga; I'll just hurt too much later.

These are actually two things I'm trying this lent that are new to me:

Yoga in a studio, with a class full of people.
Pilates in a studio, with a class full of people.

Commiting to these practices means that I must schedule my time accordingly, perhaps giving up some of my lazy doom-scrolling and endless switching between all the streaming apps where I ultimately don't end up watching anything.

It also means taking control of my finances: perhaps eating out less, wasting $$ less, and figuring out ways to use what I have rather than buying what I don't necessary need. Plus, continuing to navigate the challenges of debt, rising costs of eveyrthing in life, etc.

This Lent, I encourage you to try something new and add it as a practice to your daily routine. It would be easy to say that you don't have enough time between racing to get the kids to school, yourself to work, the dog walked, and the household managed.

Your something new may not be adding an hour long exercise class into your routine; but it may be trying a different food genre, adding stretching at the end of the night after all is accomplished, or perhaps reading instead of doom-scrolling, or actually going to sleep early and not staying up all night!

Whatever your something new may be this Lenten season, may you figure out ways to return to God, to find peace, and to lean into the community that surrounds you.

I don't know about you; but this year has already taken it's toll on me, and in the 2 yoga classes & 1 pilates class I've already attended in the past week, I've found myself more grounded and centered. It seems like the crazy of the world bothers me less, and it makes me want to acheive more. Yes, I hurt (especially since a lot of these muscles dislike some of those moves), yes I have to pysch my elder millenial self into entering a new social situation; but as a member of the pilates class told me last week, the first step is just walking through the door; and I did it.

I would like to try some other new things as time permits (cause we all know that in the church world, the longer Lent goes on, the busier it gets). Yet, I want to be intentional about my time and what I "need" to do for my job & self versus the expectations of others upon me.

What will your "walk through the door" be this Lent?

Blessings for your journey and trying something new.