Things I learned during Lent 2024

Hello everyone ! For Lent this year, I decided to abstain from social media and sugary foods. The taking away of social media was what really opened up time to reflect this year, and these are the things that God was having me learn about:

For us to rest well, not only do we need to tend to our souls and each other, but also the earth and all living creatures that roam on it alongside us humans. God gave us the earth as our home to steward, not a resource to exploit – “From mountains to trees to vineyards, Jesus was a person in tune with his surroundings and aware of the natural world. His teachings were deeply rooted in the land and the wisdom found in the earth and her creatures. No created thing was void of value or purpose for Christ. Fish and seeds had the potential to teach the most important things about loving neighbors and taking care of the poor. Observe the birds, Jesus advised, notice the lilies of the field (Matt. 6:26, 28). What if we took him seriously in our daily routines and did just that? What if we truly considered what wisdom might be found in all created things?” – Kat Armas
Emily P Freeman is the only person I know who talks about being a soul minimalist, but I would love to learn more. There’s this song by Ellie Holcomb and Needtobreathe and in it, there is a lyric that says “There’ll be a lot of blessing by a life well-lived as you lose what don’t matter”. Contrary to the mindset of the modern world, and also following the teachings of Jesus, I strongly believe life is more fulfilled and we are more connected to God, ourselves, and others as we get rid of the right things.
Speaking of getting rid of things, it makes me think of my social media usage. I was almost off all social media (except the JJ Instagram account as well as YouTube because many people consider that social media but I don’t really), and my mind definitely felt less scattered. However, I do believe social media is such an excellent tool to learn, connect, and share creativity. Unfortunately, putting time limits on it has not been helpful. I think something I could try to do instead is do something like only checking social media twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening (I already have a routine of not checking social media on the weekends, so the plan is to keep doing that)

Thank you for reading !