Application: As Lent approaches, those who observe the season may be thinking about some kind of discipline: either "giving something up," or "taking up" a spiritual practice, or maybe just getting more regular with something we are already doing, like prayer or worship attendance.
Following Paul's lead, I'll repeat, "now is the acceptable time!" You don't have to wait until Lent, and if Ash Wednesday comes and goes and life gets in the way, there's no reason to count yourself out.
Here's my annual reminder: spiritual dieting doesn't work. Not any better than nutritional dieting does. Any doctor worth their salt will tell you: rather than take some extreme measure you'll abandon after two days, do something small, but sustainable. What you're looking for is long term behavior change, not immediate results.
What does that look like spiritually? Depends on the individual. Look, I'd just love it if life allowed for everyone to attend worship weekly. But that may not be reasonable for you. Still, it's better to commit yourself to once a month, than go three weeks in a row then forget for long stretches when stuff gets busy. Same thing with daily prayer or devotions. Honestly, I don't do them seven days a week either. But I've committed to do it at least three times a week, and more when I can.
Let's not tear off into the desert and try to become spiritual paragons within 40 days. Instead, let's do what we can, what makes sense in the chaos of our lives, right now.
Prayer: God, help me do the next right thing, and not put it off until tomorrow. Amen.
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