As we approach the season of Lent, we consider where we are in our spiritual journey.  Years ago we were taught to plan something to "give up" for Lent as a spiritual self discipline. This looked like removing something unhealthy from our diet, giving up our favorite T.V show or not using Facebook for 6 weeks.   More recently we might have exchanged giving up something for adding on a new spiritual discipline; extra prayer time, church service or volunteer helper at a soup kitchen.  All of these practices are good, designed to teach us how to tone our spiritual flab.  They require extra effort, yet often finding time to add in new disciplines is too difficult or we fail in what we desire to give up, they may leave us feeling spiritually poorer.  When these two methods are working for you, use them.  If you are still wondering how you can "observe" Lent you can take a third path:

 In the spirit of the desert mothers and fathers you can begin to use the life you have to create a deeper awareness of God's presence working in your life.  No trading in what you have but a closer look at what is going on already.  Just as monasticism rose out of the desert theologians, your spiritual journey arises out of where you are.  Some think we are living in a suburban desert, filled with plenty of busyness but most of it not life giving. The question then is how do we find what is generative in our lives?

The Rev. Margaret Guenther in her book, At Home in the World: A Rule of Lfe For the Rest of Us, encourages us to examine how we spend our time now.  Perhaps you have developed a daily routine of your own with little awareness of its spiritual propensity; the morning ablutions (showering), the eating rituals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), the vocational work (what pays the rent)  and interspersed prayer ( gee, I hope that fellow ahead of me will get his car out of my way).  Ending the day with a review of where we have been most effective and where we fall short is the groundwork for any spiritual examine. 

When you are performing your ablutions try opening your spiritual eye to see what can be purified in your heart while brushing those pearly whites and opening to God while taking your shower, yes reading The Naked Now. While setting the table for meal rituals or balancing take out napkins on your lap via auto-meal, visualizing the Eucharistic feast with its candles, linens and patens offers contemplative space for partaking of the Divine nature as you open your body senses to nourishment greater than living by bread alone.  As you proceed in your life work, finding the connections that makes it your calling can find you showing mercy to strangers and looking for Christ in those you encounter.  Beginning each work session with the awareness you are called by God to share your talents with others makes the work of the day integrate with the sacred quality of your life.  Finally, an end of the day review is time to see where one has fallen short as a way of building humility (not humiliation) and where one has increased their awareness of God's presence. 

Using the life you already have is encouraging as we are no longer separating out specific activities for "God time", we are entering into the life of God in this time and this space.  Frithjof Schuon tells us "every spiritual path has three degrees; purgation which causes the world to leave the individual, expansion which causes the Divine to enter into the individual and union which causes the individual to enter into God".  These Lenten disciplines of 1) giving something up is what causes the things of the world to leave their ego centric importance in our lives making room for God, 2) adding spiritual practices creates the sacred space within where God's grace can enter into us, and 3) developing an awareness of the Divine presence in every aspect of our lives allows us to enter into and partake of the Divine nature of God.  Have a holy Lent with the eye of your heart seeing more than generally meets the eye.