40 Days of Giving

Happy Ash Wednesday! Leading up to Lent, I have been thinking about how to be present this season. Do I give up chocolate? Social media less? Volunteer more? When I think about the journey of our yearly Lenten season, I see God's provision through the cross. No matter our circumstances. No matter our season of life. We can cling to the promise Jesus is risen on the third day. These thoughts feel like new breath! No matter what we're facing, Lent reminds us to look up.

Yet when I look around, I feel cluttered, distracted, and a bit overwhelmed. I need space for my soul and my surroundings to breathe. Do you ever feel that way, even still in early stages of a new year? (When resolutions haven't been totally thrown out the window of everyday life?!) Lent comes at exactly the right time; reminding us to keep breathing and keep pursing Jesus. He is our life and our living hope. 

So in these next forty days of Lent, I am on a mission to simplify and to give. I'm calling it forty days of giving because I am raiding the closets, drawers, and boxes in my life and giving them to God. I'm giving away whatever is taking up unnecessary space to someone who needs it more. But I'm not just "getting organized" or "cleaning house" here. This time is a soul sweep; a time to reevaluate what matters most and what I actually need. 

Will you join me? We all have something we can give to someone else in need. Give it a try, there's grace here. One thing each day adds up! Maybe giving up something for Lent isn't your thing. But maybe, just maybe, we've been thinking about Lent wrong. It's not about giving up something. It's about trading up and choosing Jesus. He gives us everything we need and plenty more to share with others! (2 Corinthians 9:8).