Heart-n-Soul

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This is my Lenten Challenge to myself, but I wanted to open it up to anyone that is interested. Even if you are not Catholic or do not traditionally celebrate the Lenten season, I challenge you to this reflection as the goal is to strengthen one's relationship with the Lord (what better time to do it than in preparation for Easter!).

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Each day of lent a virtue will be released (the 40 days from Ash Wednesday-Easter, excluding Sundays). The goal is reflecting on the virtue of the day in two different manners:

1. gratitude and triumph in your success

2. willingness and solutions for improvement    

 

Start a journal, note cards, word document, etc. to document your reflections. This enables you materialize the good and hold yourself accountable for the goals you set. Overall, the goal is to strengthen your relationship with the Lord through reflection and action. (This is not a social media campaign, so share the virtue, not your notes.)

 

Each day write down the virtue (and description, if you would like), then make two separate statements. First, state a specific situation, or general practices that you do that model the virtue. Second, state what you can change in any specific situation(s) or general practice(s) in order to better live out the virtue. Lastly, say a short prayer giving God thanks for the times/ability to carry out the virtue, then ask Him for help with a specific goal to better live out the virtue.

 

Example: Day 1 -  Orderliness: achieving our goals by doing the things we should do, when we should do them, and how we should do them. This is also involved with keeping oneself physically clean and neat and one’s belongings in good order.

 

• In general, I’m an organized person physically and financially.

• However, there are some things that I have been putting off, including updating some legal documents, organizing passwords, and cleaning up my email boxes.

 

Prayer:

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Lord, thank you for my ability to be, in general, a clean and organized person as I know this task is much more challenging for some. However, I realize that there is always room for improvement and with improvement my relationship with you strengthens. Lord, I ask that you help me focus and clean out at least one email box this week to become a more orderly person, and not let things that affect my co-workers, family, and friends fall through the cracks. Amen.

 

Remember virtues are good habits developed out of love for others. When you begin growing in one virtue, you'll end up growing in many of them simultaneously!

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List of virtues was found at:  https://www.familiesofcharacter.com/devblog10809/2018/3/21/what-are-the-40-virtues-full-list