http://www.thegodarticle.com/7/post/2012/02/dont-get-caught-in-the-lent-trap.html

I read this article last night, and it pulled at my heart.  Lent is NOT about being perfect, not messing up, choosing something that we can for sure do.  It’s about making an effort to grow our compassion and understanding of sacrifice and the true and pure love of God.

One year, my roommate (in college) gave up playing solitaire, which she used as an escape from her homework.  But she didn’t just do her homework instead – when she felt that “urge to escape,” she escaped into the word of God, and would read her Bible for a few minutes, or spend time praying.  I think that was my first experience with “real” Lent – if whatever you’ve chosen doesn’t bring you closer to God, then it’s worthless.  So, whatever you pick, devote it to God and understand that the point is to develop communion with God and our fellow humans, not to prove anything to yourself or others.

You got this!! (:

Jennifer, Lent is a time of penance and prayer but it certainly shouldn’t be a source of the angst that I sense you feeling.  Whenever I find myself experiencing such emotions I am called to mind of the simple (not easy) solution to correct the situation: Balance.
 
We live in a world that screams imbalance and we find ourselves acting like a pendulum in an old grandfather clock – constantly swinging back and forth from one extreme to another.  It is almost impossible to maintain a reasonable perspective while chasing our own actions.
 
God called for balance in all things.  Jesus spoke of it often.  When He told his detractors to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s and to God what was God’s he was providing us with a perfect example of balancing and accepting the secular and non-secular elements of our existence.  Another example of his belief in the importance of balance was when he reminded Judas that although though the oils they had obtained might fetch a great price in the market – at that moment, they were even more valuable as a medicinal aid to help Him be ready to continue His mission.
 
So this year, instead of worrying about all the acts to perform, treats to avoid, books to read, prayers to say, ad. infinitum – use this Lenten season to find ways to improve the balance in your life.  When we strive to have a life of balance the time for the prayers, books, and acts seems to miraculously become available.
 
So as you pass through the next 40 days, try to follow the path of balance instead of getting caught in a traffic jam of extremes.  The path of balance continuously provides us with another opportunity to move to a centered existence and the spiritual peace that comes from understanding that balance is an ongoing journey and not a destination.