One Holy Habit at a Time: A Lenten Reflection on Psalm 15

Lent arrives like a sacred pause, calling us into deeper reflection, a slowing down to examine the rhythms of our lives. It is in this season that I find myself returning, again and again, to Psalm 15—a reminder of the character of those who dwell in the presence of God. "Who may live on Your holy mountain?" the psalmist asks, and the answer is clear: those who walk in righteousness, speak truth, and do no harm.

Yet, the tension remains. The call to holy living is not a distant summit to be reached, but rather a journey—one step, one habit, one moment of surrender at a time. Howard Thurman, in his wisdom, reminds us that holiness is not a static destination but a dynamic unfolding. We do not arrive; we awaken.

This awakening stirs within me as I consider the paradox of leadership. Leadership, by its nature, often feels like a fishbowl—every action observed, every word weighed, every decision scrutinized. The pressure to perform, to be all things to all people, can sometimes tempt us to seek escape rather than transformation. But holy living does not call us to retreat; it calls us to examen, to the holy gaze, to the sacred work of allowing God’s refining fire to shape us from within.

And so, in this Lenten season, I choose to lean into one healthy habit at a time—not for perfection’s sake, but as an offering, a way of making space for divine transformation. Jesus Himself models this for us. Before the cross, there was the wilderness. Before the victory, there was the wrestling. Before resurrection, there was the refining fire of surrender.

Lent invites us to awaken—not just to sacrifice, but to presence. Not just to discipline, but to delight in the holy work of becoming. May we, like the psalmist, walk in integrity, uphold godly characteristics, and embrace righteousness not as a weight but as the path to God’s dwelling place.

One step at a time.

Selah.