When Lent rolls around each year, I am usually still thinking about what I want to give up or take on while sitting in Ash Wednesday service. The purpose of Lent is to prepare our hearts for Easter, and for many Christians, it is a 40-day period of fasting, penitence and prayer.

Lent is not about self-improvement, it’s about self-denial. As Pope Francis wisely put it:

“Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty.”

Here’s a summary of what I plan on doing for Lent this year:

1. Coffee Budget = Church Budget

Instead of spending money on a coffee drink or two each week, I will bring that money as an offering to church every Sunday. I also plan to research a cause to donate to at the end of Lent. I know it is important to give up your time and money for the sake of the Gospel, and I want to take steps to do more of this.

2. Praying with intention.

As a senior about to graduate, this semester has been very up and down and I have definitely been struggling with not knowing what is next for me post-graduation. Feeling ill-prepared and very overwhelmed, I often pray to God about my direction in life when I find it most convenient, or whenever I remember to do so. But what would I encounter if I deliberately prayed every single day for direction, not just when it’s most pressing on my heart? I don’t know the answer to this question, but I know when I have intentionally prayed for direction in the past, God showed up and I was there to listen.

This Lent, I wrote my own “prayer for direction” that I plan to pray every day. The lack of peace I am feeling is something I want to change, and daily prayer is the most powerful way I know that creates the change of heart that I am so deeply seeking.

3. Spending more time with God.

I want to give more of my time to Him, knowing what He can do with it. Every night I plan to fill a journal page with an encouraging Bible verse or quote, something I want to remember from the day, and three things I am grateful for. Each Sunday night, I will set aside an hour to completely unplug, and spend time in quiet prayer and reflection. I pray that this time will work to change me, and therefore, help me to create positive change around me throughout the following week.

Lent is in full-swing, but it’s not too late to give something up or take something on for the glory of God. It’s not about what you can do, but about what God can do for you and through you. But in order for God to show up for you, in order to be able to recognize His “showing up,” you need to show up for Him.

What are you doing for Lent this year?