How Will You Prepare Your Heart For Lent?

Even though it seems like Advent just concluded, Lent is fast approaching! The beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday, is on February 14. That marks the beginning of 40 days of prayer, fasting, and penance as we contemplate the sacred mysteries of our faith.

It is most fruitful to approach the season of Lent intentionally and carefully. Spend some time preparing your heart for Lent so you can make the most of this holy season. Here are a few ways you can best prepare your heart for Lent ...

Prayer

Spend time in extra prayer as we approach Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time when we clear out the distractions in our lives and reorder the things that are keeping us from God. We meditate on the passion of Christ and our place in salvation history, how God has been pursuing us from the beginning. We shouldn’t just start Lent without having given it some time and consideration in prayer. Spend time in prayer asking God what you should focus on or give up this Lent to help you prepare for a fruitful and holy season.

Silence

Spend some time in silence as Lent approaches. There is so much noise in our modern world, from social media, entertainment, constant news, and more. Turn off the radio or go for a walk without your phone and listen for the voice of God. It may take a few times of doing this before you can get comfortable with silence, but it is true that God comes to us in silence and we can’t pray and meditate with focus when we are distracted by the noise of the world.

One way to do this is to create a sacred space in your home - a place where you can be with God in silence once a day.  Maybe it's just a comfortable chair (like in the photo) near a bookshelf.  Or make it more cozy by adding a candle, your favorite door rosary, a mug filled with tea, and your bible.  By adding additional items that bring you comfort, you're more likely to spend time in your new space, choosing to either spend it in meditative silence or with a devotion. 

Fasting

To prepare your heart for Lent, think about what you might feel called to fast from this year. The point of fasting is to build our ability to deny ourselves. And keep in mind that a Lenten fast doesn’t have to be from some kind of food. You could fast from anything that might be keeping you from God -- for example, you could fast from scrolling on social media, watching excess TV, listening to the radio in your car, or something similar.

Devotions

In addition to fasting, you could also add a devotion to help you get closer to God this Lent. Be sure to add some devotion that is manageable -- that isn’t too difficult to continue to do consistently throughout Lent. Again, this should be something that will help you grow closer to God. This might be praying the Stations of the Cross once a week, reading Scripture for 10 minutes a day, or committing to praying the rosary each day.

(Like the rosary bracelet in the photo?  Click here to see more.)

Take time to prepare for Lent!

Lent is a very special, holy season in the Christian faith. Take time to properly prepare your heart through prayer, silence, and careful consideration of what you will do to make this season fruitful for yourself, whether that is fasting from something or adding a devotion. Doing so will help you grow deeply in faith this Lent!

Let Knots of Grace® help you with your preparation with any of our single-decade rosaries.  They are perfect for your home, car, or when you're on the go!  Click here to find the one that's just right for you this Lent.