Lent

Ok, so i'm not Catholic but I find Lent to be great concept. Lent is a time of sacrifice for Jesus. In the bible Jesus went into the wilderness, fasted and was tempted by the devil for 40 days. Besides the spiritual aspects and benefits of it it also promotes self-discipline in those who participate. So, although not being Catholic, I always usually make some sort of pact to give up something or start doing something. I've given up fast food, cokes, and many other things in the past. I know people who have given up sugar, facebook, or carbs (ambitious). And while I commend these pledges I cant help but want to be a little more complex in my choices. This is a great opportunity to grow closer to God through all acts of giving up some of our favorite things.
My Lent Pledges: I'd like to make a more conscious effort to read the bible everyday. A Catholic friend of mine once for Lent chose to read at least a chapter of the bible a day. This has the makings a good habit. I can honestly I do not spend enough time with God's word or in prayer. The second thing, Prayer. Prayer deserves its own blog post but in short I want to establish a more intimate relationship with God. I want to start by praying more during the day. I pray before bed and during the really stressful days at specific times. But I thought why not add a concrete prayer time during the day? So I will add a noon prayer. I thing this will be good because some nights I find myself excited and looking forward to my bedtime prayer. And here is something that will be one of my most ambitious and most difficult things I am going to try and make a conscious effort in: Improve the health of my relationships. I would say I struggle most with my interpersonal relationships. It really isn't any way to live. I consistently find myself lonely, disappointed, and upset over how my most important relationships play out. Now I know i'm not the only one who struggles with things like this. But isn't life about growth? Why not use the next 40 days to work on one of the lowest points in my life? I need to examine why I feel like I repeatedly find myself in certain situations with certain feelings. I need to return to some of the basic building blocks of any strong and healthy relationship: communication, honesty, compassion, and understanding. Also heres where I get into trouble I forget that pesky old adage "people cant read your mind".
Needless to say I have a lot of work to do and i'm ready to take on this "Lent season" with these pledges. I hope you all (Catholic or not) practice some self-discipline in your daily lives that inspire constant growth and improvements. It really is beneficial in so many ways.