A Planning Guide For Lent
The first page is a list that you can write in what every family member is giving up/doing extra for Lent. You can also write in a sacrifice for the whole family. Some good sacrifices, to be chosen by one person or everyone in the household: Give up candy, tv, FB, the computer, dessert, video games, a favorite food, (in our house it would be pizza!) or favorite drink (around here, that's hot chocolate!) Extra things to do during Lent: Pray more, learn new prayers or scripture, read the Bible or other faith-filled books, practice listening to your parents or children, talk more quietly, go to church more often, do something nice for someone every day, and practice being patient in the grocery store, in the car, etc.
The trick here is that it should really apply to your family. Giving up candy if you rarely eat it isn't really a sacrifice. It's also not a sacrifice if you're doing it to curtail the cavities or lose the extra 5 lbs. It needs to be something that, every time you can't do it, it is a reminder that it's Lent. It needs to be something that draws you closer to the cross and the sacrifice that Jesus made. Many times, people will give up a favorite activity and replace it with prayer, extra time to spend strengthening the family's faith, or religious reading. They are 'making room' in their schedules for more time with Jesus. Some years we give things up and replaced them with other things, some years we try to do more, and this year my family has chosen individual sacrifices.
We have also sacrificed a different thing each day. This works well if your children are young and sacrificing throughout all of Lent would be impossible. One year, my children decided to give up tv, candy, and the computer, but each one was given up on 2 days each week. For example, Monday and Thursday they chose to not watch tv, Tuesday and Friday no candy, and no computer on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This way, they had a sacrifice every day, but it was more manageable for them because it wasn't the same thing for the entire season.
I also liked that this helped them really focus on the reason behind giving these things up, which is that we try especially hard during Lent to become more like Jesus, and to appreciate all that He gave for us. The variety helped them think about why some of their sacrifices were harder than others, and how with life's ups and downs, it is sometimes easier or harder to follow Christ!
One last thing about sacrifices and doing something extra. I truly believe that these should be optional. Keep in mind, there's no church law on having to give something up, so it's okay if you or your kids choose not to do this. I think if you explain the reasoning behind these practices, your children will likely want to participate to one degree or another. However they choose to observe Lent is up to them. I try to give my kids a variety of opportunities, and each one usually chooses to do things slightly differently. Observing Lent is not optional in our house, but how it is observed is up to each family member.
Have a Blessed Lent,
Carolyn
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