21 February 2023

Reset and refocus this Ash Wednesday and Lent

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the forty days of Lent leading up to Easter. This is a religious ritual observed by many Christians today.

You are invited to pause, remember and get ready. There are many ways you can mark this season; the key is finding one that is meaningful to you.

The most common theme of lent is fasting. While very few people do a ‘literal’ fast, it’s quite common to use this time to reflect on what we could ‘give up’ for a period of time. Perhaps it’s sugar, alcohol or putting a limit on your screentime?

You might like to take this as an opportunity to reset and refocus on what is important in your life. This could be your family, spirituality or community. What could you ‘give up’ for the forty days that will help you to refocus and improve in this area?

Lent can be used to cut down or go without things we do not need. We could even consider donating some of the money we save to someone who needs it more than we do.

Not only does this make us feel good to give back and refocus on what is important to us, but we are doing our physical body some good also.

Whilst this is a Christian ritual, I am intrigued that events like the Febfast (www.febfast.org.au) in a way acknowledge what religious seasons have been promoting for centuries.

Best wishes as we begin the journey to Easter.