Are you ready for Lent? What’s your plan? This week Danielle shares 6 simple ideas to inspire you to make a plan for your best Lent ever.

Snippet from the Show
Recognize your state in life and embrace it.

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Shownotes

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3 Helpful Reminders for Lent

1. Keep it Simple. There is no need to overcomplicate what you do for Lent. Keep it simple so that you can actually do it!
   
   
   
2. Don’t let yourself become discouraged. This follows from the first reminder. Although you may make your Lenten fasts more simple, they can still become overwhelming at times. If you fail or don’t feel like anything good is coming of it, don’t be discouraged. Turn to Jesus and ask for his grace.
   
   
   
3. Finally, look at the three basic tenants for Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Find something to do in each of these three categories this Lent.
   
   

6 Ideas for Your Best Lent Ever

1. Choose a Book
   A book is a simple way to give structure to your Lenten journey. You might choose a spiritual classic like The Story of a Soul, True Devotion to Mary, or An Introduction to the Devout Life. Or you might choose a contemporary book like Habits for Holiness (by last week’s guest, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR) or my book, Whisper: Finding God in the Everyday.
   
   
   
2. Acts of Kindness
   You might consider making a commitment to performing one small act of kindness each day. Things like surprising someone with an anonymous gift, sending small notes of encouragement, or complimenting others are easy ways to create a new and generous habit, one small act at a time.
   
   
   
3. Volunteer
   Consider making even a one-time commitment to volunteering in your community in some way. For example, you might visit a nursing home or offer to help behind the scenes at a pregnancy center. Look for a way that might challenge you to get outside your comfort zone a bit.
   
   
   
4. Journal
   Writing things down is a beautiful way to track your progress through Lent. Perhaps, you could keep a daily prayer journal, keep track of prayer intentions for others in your life, or spend a little time each day writing in a journal for a loved one to read at Easter. I did this with my husband Dan one Lent and it was a challenging but beautiful project for me.
   
   
   
5. Clean House
   We all have too much stuff and Lent is a great time to get rid of some of those extra things in your home. Clean out your closets and whittle down your wardrobe. Help kids clean out their toy boxes. Perhaps, you could tackle some of those bigger projects like the basement, attic, or garage.
   
   
   
6. Make Your Plan with Someone Else
   You can discuss your Lenten plan with your husband or a good friend, with your entire family or with your women’s group. Not only does talking with others and planning with others helps you to set reasonable goals for Lent, but also holds you accountable for those goals.
   
   

Listener Question (31:18)

At the end of today’s show, Danielle answers a question from Kate about fasting while pregnant. Spoiler alert: Don’t do that!

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