The pastor at my old church used to comment every Lent that lifelong Catholics should try to avoid giving up the same thing every year. He would challenge the congregation to consider a new stretch goal or take on a new habit, rather than rely on the same old sacrifice year after year.

I remember this advice every Lent and this year it has inspired me to dive into digital journaling as a way to deepen my Lenten observance, draw closer to God, & reestablish a bit more healthy balance in my busy life. I’ve been a journaler for 37 years, but I have always preferred writing by hand to using journaling software or a program like Word. Digital journaling, though, is another matter altogether.

I’ve been scrapbooking for about 8 years and discovered the digital version of this craft about 2 years ago – it was love at first sight for me. I adore graphic arts and typography and learning how to blend these crafts with journaling and scrapbooking has been oodles of fun.

For quite sometime, though, I  have wanted to push my journaling to a new level by combining writing with some form of visual art. Inspired by many of the students in my Introduction to Journaling class, I decided to use digital journaling as a means of exploring my Lenten journey this year. My goal is to digitally scrap a photo related to my journey at least 3 times a week and journal my thoughts, feelings, or experiences around that photo.

This is a huge challenge for my perfectionism to face. The temptation I encounter is that I want to make the page as beautiful as I can, which inevitably leads me to look for different digital papers, elements, or techniques. That quest quickly becomes addictive as I check “just one more” digital scrapbooking site for ideas and inspiration. Next thing I know, hours have gone by and I haven’t written word or finished a page.

I’ve had to push myself to work with the materials I have on hand and to simply get a page done, without yielding to the temptation of perfectionism. What a wonderful Lenten blessing that is turning out to be! I am quickly seeing the benefits of being less perfectionistic (getting more done, maintaining momentum, feeling good about myself) and have already created a while series of simple digital journaling pages that I can ruminate on or share with my Spiritual Director.

I have kept my layouts quite simple – just 1-2 photos and some journaling. I didn’t want to put so much energy into adding elements to the layout that I didn’t have time to write. This simple approach worked well in getting me into action. Surely that means it’s a strategy I can repeat in other parts of my life.

The interesting thing here is that this business of taking on a new habit is also a form of Lenten sacrifice, but one that, in my case at least, is deepening my Lenten observation. I am learning how to sacrifice perfectionism and imbalance, while also learning how to replace these unhealthy practices with their healthier counterparts – in the space of about 10-15 minutes 3 times weekly. How cool is that?

I should mention that for others who want to [a] begin journaling, [b] take their journaling habit to the next level, or [c] introduce one or more art forms into their journal, my Introduction to Journaling class is a great option. The next one launches in mid-April, by the way, followed by another one in mid-May (in case it isn’t obvious, a new class launches each month).

Cheryl

[NOTE: The images included here use Zoe Pearn's digital papers & elements available at DesignHouseDigital.com. They also use Cathy Zielske's layouts, available at DesignerDigitals.com]