For children, Ash Wednesday can feel like a topsy-turvy sort of day. Imagine walking around seeing a whole bunch of people with gray smudges on their foreheads and no one saying anything about it! What a wonderful learning opportunity for the wee ones; a chance for grown-ups to tell children about God’s love for us and our need to demonstrate that we are sorry for things we have done wrong. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a special time when, in preparing for Easter, we pray, reflect, and repent. To practice sacrifice, adults can encourage children to give up something like their usual scoop of chocolate ice cream with sprinkles or their favorite superhero television show. Another good idea is to promote virtues during this time, such as practicing charity by not picking fights with a sometimes pesky sibling, or honesty by telling the truth about how those math quizzes REALLY went! We know it can be rough to make it all the way through Lent while remembering to keep up with these small sacrifices, so the team at Wee Believers thought we would try to do something together—a Wee Believers Lenten Challenge, if you will! So here’s the challenge: each night let’s spend 10 extra minutes in prayer with our families taking special care to make even the smallest have a special part in that time.  We will check in with you through the season to see how you are doing and let you know how things are going on our end! If you need someplace to start Psalm 51 captures the spirit of Lent and can be used as a prayer for the whole family:

Create in me a clean heart, oh God, And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, And take not your Holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy of your saving help again, And sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

Have a blessed Ash Wednesday, friends!