3 things to do if you had a bad start to Lent

I admit there have been years that my Lent plans and goals just did not seem to get out of the gate, much less lead the race. If we have been Catholic for any length of time then the majority of us can say we have experienced a Lenten season (or two) that either started or ended poorly (or both). We must remember that Lent is a season, not a day. It is not easy because if it was easy then everyone would want to do it. The Christian life is not easy. What do you do if you have had a poor start to Lent. Here are 3 things to consider:

1.) Forgive yourself: The “Catholic guilt” will often rise up and condemn us for our failures in the faith. Our guilt’s voice tells us we are a failure and God does not accept us because we failed. Our guilt tells us we will never succeed and to just give up trying to have faith. Do not let that voice convince you of any of that because the voice of guilt is the voice of Satan. St. Paul understood the struggle of failure in faith. “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me.” (Philippians 3:13-14) St. Paul acknowledges he had failed in areas and sinned. He also reminds us to forgive ourselves and put the past behind us. You cannot change how you started this Lent. You can, however, change how it ends.

2.) Pray: That’s one of those “duh” moments. Right? You’re probably thinking “well of course we have to pray.” It’s not that obvious when we feel that we have failed because when we fail then it becomes harder to go to God in prayer. We often feel that we are not worth approaching God in prayer. Perhaps we start to think that prayer is not worth it because we have already failed. Prayer is always worth it. God is always waiting on you. 

3.) Start again: Just because you have not started strong does not determine how you end. I love to watch track and field races or horse races. There is something exhilarating about seeing a horse or a runner come from the back of the pack and rush past the leader just in time to cross the finish line. I find myself cheering for a runner or a horse I know nothing about and just because they are coming from behind and I want to see them win because of the comeback. We are called to come from the back of the pack and cross the finish line strong. 

You may feel like Lent is over for you since you have already failed. It is not. Lent has just started. There are plenty more weeks and days for you to come back strong. Don’t give up on yourself. God has not given up on you. I’ll see you at the finish line.