Lets Get Creative – Doodle Your Way Through the Lenten Calendar: Updated for 2023

Several people have sent me links to wonderfully creative Lenten practices that make me feel – I wish I knew that before Lent! If you are like me now that the first week of Lent is over you may be looking for some more creative inspiration. So I thought that I would make Saturday a “Let’s Get Creative Day” and provide links to practices that continue to inspire me through the season. It might be too late to incorporate the practice into Lent this year but I suggest you tag it for consideration next year.

Praying in Colour is a great website to explore. For the season of Lent, there are Lenten calendar templates and spirals you can download that provide fresh daily inspiration for lenten observances.

I love these suggestions on how to use the calendar especially drawing on the very creative art of doodling which often inspires our imaginations and stirs our brains to find solutions to problems we are grappling with:
1) Pray for someone each day. Write a name, doodle around it, pray with words or in silence as you draw.
2) Choose a word from the Daily Lectionary or other reading and write it in the space for the day. Pray the word. Meditate on it. Spend time with it as you draw. Let it tell you about itself. Let God reveal something new to you about the word.
3) Write a word you associate with Lent–sin, forgiveness, journey, palms, Jesus, salvation, crucifixion, etc.  Meditate on it. Spend time with it as you draw. Listen to what the word can tell you about itself. Let God reveal something new to you about the word.
4) Just doodle or draw in the space without words. Keep silence and listen for the “still small voice of God.”
5) Write one of the different names for God each day and pray/meditate on the name.
6) Write one of your character defects or “sins” in the space each day. Offer it up to God; ask for help and forgiveness. Very Lenten!

This post was inspired by my emphasis on creativity and imagination in our Lenten practices. You might also like to check out my other posts on creativity in Lent:

Seven Tips for Creating Sacred Space for Lent

5 Ways to Foster Creativity in Children for Lent

Get Creative and Play Games in Lent

Walk to Jerusalem

Please check out our complete list of Godspace resources for Lent through Holy Week.