Today is the beginning of Lent- the forty days prior to Easter, not including Sundays. Not growing up with a liturgical background, Lent really didn’t have any specific meaning to me. I remember my neighborhood playmate who, being Catholic, “gave up” something for Lent. Usually chocolate, sugar or something of that nature. It baffled me, “You mean you can’t have this cookie?” I would ask Kathy. I was grateful for being Protestant and therefore, didn’t have to do that.

In more recent years, I have become more interested in the liturgical calendar and the rationale behind the design. I see the symbolism, the mystical beauty and comfort of the liturgical rhythm. I see how it all fits together and is such a great teaching tool especially for those who are different types of learners.

Just yesterday, I received an email newsletter from a pastor that I sometimes read. She suggested that for Lent, instead of giving up an item, think about giving up an attitude, namely to give up despair or discouragement. She is encouraging people to notice the good around each one of us. And while social media may be a contributing factor towards our despair, she is encouraging others to use social media to spread goodness.

The idea is to notice something good every day during Lent and to share that positivity through social media.

Her only criteria is that it has to be something that you personally witnessed. It cannot be something that was reported on a social media page. For instance, she would not comment on the walk for peace monks because she has not personally seen them. But she would report on a positive conversation she had with her neighbor.

I like her idea and was thinking our little community could join in with this conversation or just encourage each other.

What I am proposing:

Each day in Lent I will post a picture with a word of encouragement. (If my technological skills work, the picture and word will be on: the blog-wellofencouragement.com, facebook.com/virginiaruth.author, instagram.com/virginiaruth010-@virginiaruth010)
I would encourage you to ponder that word and keep your eyes open for examples of it during the day.
Journal about the experience.
Write a comment, take a picture, share an anecdote about that word.
Share your thoughts either on the comment section here or on one of the other social media sites: facebook or instagram- include the hashtags: #40DaysLentenEncouragement, #40DaysofGoodShit. (I apologize for the language but that is the link for the pastor.)
If the word doesn’t speak to you that day, ponder Goerthe’s words:

“Every day one should at least hear one little song, read one good poem, see one fine painting and -- if at all possible -- speak a few sensible words.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

As we journey these 40 days together, may we experience Lent in a new and eye-opening way this year.