Did you know that ‘Lent’ derives from the Old English term ‘lencten’ which translates to ‘spring season’?
As we enter the Christian season of Lent in the run-up to Easter Sunday, we find this to be a great time for contemplation and self-reflection. Inspired by honouring Jesus Christ’s sacrifices in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights, a big focus of Lent is often what we are ‘giving up’ or omitting from our lifestyles. Yet, what feels even more important is what we are spiritually gaining as individuals and as a community during this time.
By recognising the act of sacrifice – whether it be nurses putting themselves on the frontline to protect those with COVID-19 or a person giving up their afternoon to buy shopping for a self-isolating neighbour – we can understand each other more deeply and show a greater compassion to help us each become more than we are as a caring and respectful community.
Whatever your background and beliefs, we hope you can enjoy this Spring as an opportunity to exercise self-care to boost healthy living and social responsibility to empower others to grow in their physical and mental wellbeing. We each have more power than we can ever know as even the smallest positive act can create a big lasting impact on a person’s life.
Core Christian values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility reside at the heart of everything Nottinghamshire YMCA delivers in our community, and we look forward to carrying these valuable attributes further into a positive year ahead as we develop together in mind, body and spirit.
#Lent #SharingIsCaring #ReasonY