Lent begins tomorrow! Ready or not, the season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving is upon us.

Are you ready?

Or not?

I am mostly ready. God has given me a very personal invitation to spend more time in prayer, so that is going to be my focus. And with my ongoing struggle with Hashimoto’s (an autoimmune disease that attacks my Thyroid) and the various symptoms that accompany it, I am also going to pay closer attention to my diet by eating more cleanly. It just seems as if I need to be more attentive to this body, this “temple of the Holy Spirit,” that God has given me.

I don’t have my Lent all planned out perfectly, and I think that’s OK. I recently read this quote by St. Augustine, and it really put my mind at ease about a lot of things, including having Lent all figured out before it even begins.

“God keeps for us what he does not wish to give us at once, so that we may learn greatly to desire great things.” —St. Augustine

I don’t have to know how this Lenten journey will go. I can’t possibly anticipate where I will be by Easter Sunday. But I trust that if I stay close to Jesus during these 40 days, He will bring me along—showing me the way, giving me the grace, revealing more to me as He sees fit.

In case you are still deciding how you will spend the next 40 days and 40 nights, I have compiled a list of past Lent-themed posts that may give you some inspiration. And if I could give just one piece of advice, it is to not get overwhelmed! Try not to get caught up in the swirl and shoulds, because more than anything, Lent is about our relationship with Jesus and how we can love Him more.

Lent in My Heart

Drink Deeply and Be Filled is a meditation on Jesus approaching the Samaritan woman in the Gospel of John. I can picture myself in this story. Can you?

Preparing for Lent turns our focus on what the Lord wants our Lent to be like, instead of what we want our Lent to be like. (Sometimes, there’s a difference!)

Lent in My Home

Lent Around My Home: Reclaiming My Joy shares a bit about my depression and how preparing my home for Lent helped me reclaim my joy. It could easily fall into the heart category, too.

A Place to Pray shares how I took a small space in our home and made it a focal point for our Lenten prayer.

Lent in My Family

Experiencing Lent Through Our Five Senses is a great way to help children (and ourselves) enter into Lent.

Keeping Love in Lent shares some of the Lenten sacrifices and activities my family has done over the years.