Lent is the time leading up to Easter, a season where many of us tend to welcome tradition and the spiritual formation associated with ritual. Or maybe we acquiesce or even bristle at the notion of practicing Lent.

I have come to really appreciate the rhythms of church calendar, these built-in reminders to contemplate, celebrate and remember together, but the truth is I'm an "ordinary time" person. All the traditions can feel burdensome and I perpetually tend toward the contemplative so I find it more fulfilling to focus on the "why" and less on the to dos that can often feel like "shoulds" and "oughts", which feel suffocating to me. Let's cut to the chase and let go of all the frills.

Kate Bowler's framing of Lent as a time the Church comes together to all tell the truth, starting with the raw honesty of Ash Wednesday, feels so freeing and honest. Her "good enough" approach to Lent is my kind of approach to a season because I gave up on perfection long ago. I remember a specific time in middle school. And again when I became a parent. And definitely when I had twins, and then again last week, and probably again before I see you on Sunday. The truth, as Bowler puts it, is that "the world is beautiful, meaningful, difficult, and challenging." Life is hard- for all of us and we need each other for it.

Bowler reminds us that "our spiritual selves need encouragement. We need community. We need a hot minute alone. And we need a regula." Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen... wait, what? A regula, a rule of life, "is simply a regular pattern of activities that becomes more valuable over time because its structure creates a space for good things." Whether you are fueled by these ritual seasons or find them burdensome, I hope you'll find the "good enough" in it. Recognize the urge to change something, or begin a practice, or open your eyes to the joy and good around you. Find quiet or sit in prayer, be present in your relationships or simply commit to paying attention. Spiritual practices may not be a guarantee of spiritual growth, “but somehow and sometimes, God shows up." We open ourselves up to that mystery when we practice what scripture offers us and is found in Church tradition... when we do church together.

With or without a 40-day practice, the "why" of the season reminds us to leave room in our daily life for God to show up. Joy may be abundant or joy may sustain us, but joy is always available to us. What joy there is just in the knowledge that there is good to be found if we simply open our eyes to it. God is here with us when joy is abundant, and God is here with us in our suffering, pain, grief and despair. May the joy find and sustain you this week.

-Jordyn Pritchard

*These weekly Lenten emails are reflections based on a selection of Kate Bowler's* Good Enough *devotions.*

A devotional reflection will be published each Monday during Lent. If you would like to receive devotionals and weekly updates please make sure you sign up for our email list. Join a "Good Enough" Lent devotion small group for discussion of these themes and other group devotions.