10 Relationship-Focused Goals for This Lenten Season
Spiritual Life
Audio By Carbonatix
7:40 AM on Friday, January 30
By Carrie Lowrance, Spiritual Life
1. Spend more time with God.
It’s easy for us to get busy in our lives and be prone to distractions, causing us not to spend as much time with God as we like. Does this make us bad Christians? No, it makes us human. Life can get insanely busy.
This lent season, take some time to slow down and spend some extra time with God. You can schedule an extra-long block of time for Bible study or prayer. Or you can spend extra time with Him in the little pockets of your day. Praying while waiting for an appointment or the kids to get out of school or in the shower when you have time by yourself.
You could go sit in the park and admire his creation. Crank up the praise and worship or contemporary Christian music in the car or while you’re doing housework or preparing dinner. You could also listen to a Christian podcast while you are doing this. There are all kinds of ways you can spend time with God in your day. Find what works for you to connect with Him regularly.
2. Fast with a friend.
Fasting and prayer go hand-in-hand. Team up with a friend and go on a fast together. You could fast from a specific meal or give up a specific type of food that isn’t good for you, like fast food, sweets, or sugary beverages. When you have meals, try to eat healthier.
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3. Give something up with a friend.
Team up with a friend and give something up together. It could be television, social media, or any other activity that distracts you from spending more time with God. Doing this with a friend will help each of you stay accountable. You can also spend time together in prayer or Bible study, growing in your friendship and your walk with the Lord.
4. Spend more time volunteering at church.
Take some time to volunteer more at your church. Teach Sunday school. If you have musical talents, help the worship team. Volunteer to decorate the sanctuary for Easter. Volunteer to help with different outreaches in your community. There are all kinds of ways that you can help your church.
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5. Volunteer and grow new relationships.
Take some to volunteer with your favorite charity or local non-profit and make some new friends. Animal shelters and rescues always need help. This could be a great way to make both human and furry friends. Volunteer at a homeless shelter and get to know the residents. Spend time at a children’s home and take time to get to know the kids that live there. This is a great way to pass on your knowledge and wisdom to the next generation.
Other ideas for volunteering include the Community Alliance for Learning, where you can coach young writers. Volunteer World, where you can find opportunities to volunteer in the areas of art and culture. 826 National, where you can help children perfect their writing craft to create an awesome story. Another program is Get Set Up. This program allows you to volunteer virtually to teach older adults about various topics. While these programs are designed for older volunteers, you can always ask if they accept younger volunteers.
6. Go on more date nights.
Go on more date nights. Instead of going out once a week, go out twice a week. This doesn’t mean you have to spend a ton of money every time, either. Look for coupons for your favorite local restaurants in the mail or on their app. Go to a matinee movie instead of at night. Instead of going to a big chain bookstore, support your local independent bookstore. You can find some great reads and get more bang for your buck.
You can also go on great date nights for free. Have a picnic in the park. Go for a stroll and window shop. Ship your kids off to your parents or a friend’s house and have a fancy dinner and a movie at home. When the weather is warm, go to the park and dance under the stars. If you live near the beach, take a walk at night. There are all kinds of ideas for free date nights.
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7. Make more friends.
You can never have too many friends and these days it’s easier than ever to meet people. Join a group online that has to do with one of your favorite things, like a certain genre of movie or books, gardening, or a favorite animal.
You could see if there are local groups that hang out at your local library and what their interests are. You can also go on sites like Meetup and see if there are any other local groups you would want to join to meet people.
You could even join a group at your church and meet new people there. Some churches have singles groups, mom groups, widow and widower groups, youth groups (young adults), etc.
8. Start a relationship with a furry friend.
Love animals? Why not adopt a cat or dog? Animals help us in all kinds of ways, from companionship to our physical health (walking your dog), helping relieve stress and more.
Not able to adopt? That’s okay! Foster an animal instead. Overcrowded shelters and rescues desperately need foster homes. When you foster an animal, you open a space up for the next animal to come along. Some animals don’t do well in shelters or rescues and do much better in a foster home. My cat Cupcake was like this. She was at our local cat cafe, and because she was timid, the other cats would pick on her. So the owner of the cafe and the head of her rescue group pulled her, and the rescue owner took her home and fostered her for two years. She did much better in foster than she did at the cafe. When you foster an animal, the shelter or rescue group provides everything you need, from food to medical care. All you have to do is provide the basics and lots of love and attention until they find their forever home.
Take some time and think about whether welcoming a fur baby into your life is the right thing for you.
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9. Invest in your marriage.
Does it feel like you and your spouse are two ships passing in the night? Take some time to invest in your marriage this season. Make time each day to connect intentionally with each other. Go to bed or wake up 15 minutes early to talk about your day. Or both. It’s good to connect at the beginning and end of the day so everyone is on the same page.
If you can afford it, drop the kids off at Grandma and Grandpa’s or hire a babysitter and take a day trip. Or even better, get away for the weekend. Even if it’s just a fancier hotel in your town. Take the time to get away and reconnect.
Other ideas to help you invest in your marriage are to read books about marriage or listen to podcasts together and talk about them. You could also go on a marriage retreat. If you’re having problems, go to counseling together. This is still investing in your marriage.
Don’t forget to read the Bible and pray together, too.
10. Spend more time with friends.
Take the time to spend more time with your friends. Get together and take a day trip somewhere you have all been wanting to go. Go to the spa for the day. Have a girls' day in or night out and have some fun. Get together for Bible study and pray together.
Encourage your husband to spend some extra time with his friends as well. They could also take a day trip somewhere they have been wanting to go. Or spend the day at a local restaurant watching the game. Other ideas include playing sports together, going to an expo together (hunting, fishing, home improvement) or even a specific themed event like a comic convention or something to do with a favorite movie franchise. It’s good for husbands to go out with the guys, too.
There are all kinds of ways we can set goals for our relationships this lent season. Step back and take an honest look at your relationships and see where you could spend some more time and then plan on doing so. Your relationships will be stronger and your life will be happier.
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