Sanctification (March Focus)

"You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  How precious are Your thoughts concerning me, O God.  How great is their number!" ~Psalm 139:16-17

Happy first day of March - I hope it's an excellent month ahead for you!!

Lent is the 40-day period before Easter.  (It's only this morning that I'm looking at a calendar and realizing Lent is actually 46 days.  Google tells me the Catholic tradition does not count Sundays, so it is 40 days not counting  the six Sundays in that time period. Noted.)  I am giving up sweets through that whole period -- so far, so good.  It hasn't been as hard as I expected, partly because I've been sick and it's throwing my taste/cravings off, and partly because not budgeting for sweets allows me to eat more and better foods at meals while I'm tracking on Weight Watchers.  Win-win!

Anyway, I mistakenly thought Lent was exactly 40 days, so I decided to use this time to pray through each year of my life one day at a time, starting on February 22nd.  (I'll either finish a little early or have a few grace days thrown in there.)

So day one was my first year of life, birth through my 1st birthday... thanking God for caring for me, for being loved by my parents and grandparents, for watching over me as He formed me in the womb, for being fearfully and wonderfully made, for keeping me safe and healthy when I was helpless to do anything for myself, etc.  Today is Lent day #8, which means I'm praying over the time between my 7th and 8th birthdays - my first year as a new student at CHA, the year I talked with Mom and prayed to be saved, etc.  A lot to thank God for on this day!!  (This post helps me to visualize it more clearly year by year.)

Of course, this Lent practice also fits with my "Sanctification" word for 2023 and with my February goal of breaking agreements (which is now extending into March).  In addition to thanking God for very specific things and people He placed in my life in each season, I am praying year by year through any difficult memories... praying God will give me eyes to see and help me break through any negative labels about myself that I internalized, any toxic theology I picked up, and any lingering bitterness or anger from old wounds, etc.

Obviously, I am still in the early years, but this has been encouraging and helpful already.  And it's made Lent feel more purposeful and God-centered than it has for me in years past.

So that is my sanctification focus for March (and a little of February and April) -- praying through 40 years in 40 days!  And I love that when I reach day 40 in early April, I will be praying over this year of my life (between 39th and 40th birthdays), with gratitude for all God has done so far, and consecrating what lies ahead to Him. ❤