I told my church family yesterday that I’m choosing a practice this Lent of being lazy. They laughed and many piped up that they were too! So then I explained what it means to me this year.
If you know me at all, then you know I’m a pretty disciplined, motivated and intentional person. Almost to a fault at times. I have no problem at all waking up at 5:15 am most mornings so I can walk or meditate or do yoga or write. I started eating gluten-free last November and have stuck with it fairly easily. I go to therapy on purpose when nothing is urgent simply because I want to keep growing and understanding myself. I meet with a coach twice a month and a spiritual director every other month because I’m committed to my growth as a human being and a leader.
Just ask my husband sometime. I’m super disciplined. It’s annoying.
So as Ash Wednesday approached, I noticed I wasn’t feeling super drawn to a new practice like giving up social media, chocolate, complaining or even adding in one like journaling, reading Psalms or using less plastic.
Jenny, you better pick one. You can’t encourage others to engage in this practice if you’re not doing it.
Then it occurred to me.
What could I learn from not being super focused and disciplined this Lent?
I have something to learn from God in laziness. In letting a few things slide. In resisting a hyper focused disciplined mindset that borders on unhealthy at times.
I practice a Sabbath rhythm of rest and play most Fridays & Saturdays, but what if those Sabbath values continued to leak into the rest of my life this Lent?
There’s something of grace to be learned in laziness that I could never learn in rigorous and driven discipline.
There’s something I can learn from being this Lent that I can’t learn from doing.
Some of us will become more like love this Lent by doing less. Others of us appreciate the invitation to pick up a new habit or practice that makes us work a bit more.
What resurrection awaits you this Easter? Give a wholehearted yes now to a practice that could lead you to being more fully alive this spring.
Love hopes you’ll say yes.
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