40 is the number that seems to be surrounding me a lot lately.

• I am looking forward to my 40th week of pregnancy knowing that Clover will be arriving soon at that point.
• My official “due date” is March 21st, which happens to be 40 days from today.
• Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday which kicks off the season of lent; the 40 days (excluding Sundays) leading up to Easter Sunday.

Many people think that this is a time that only those in the Catholic faith practice, however, I believe that the 40 days leading up towards resurrection Sunday are an amazing time for all Christians to go deeper with the Lord. One of the ways our church is observing this sacred time is through praying an hour a day. Joe and I participated in this a couple years ago and it was such a beautiful time witnessing the mighty hand of God in our lives. We look forward to doing it again this year. I can’t think of a better way to prepare for this new season in the life of our family!

As I was asking the Lord to prepare me for these next 40 days, He brought to mind Luke 10:27

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

God created us as embodied beings; mind, body, heart and soul. He wants us to love him and worship him with ALL of who we are; that includes our bodies. So, starting tomorrow, I will be kicking off #40daysofworship Holy Yoga challenge on my Instagram for anyone who wants to join me. Monday through Saturday from February 10th-March 27th I will post a yoga pose and intention on my @stacy_kokes account as a way to encourage us to seek the Lord together and posture our whole selves towards Him.

Feel free to post along with me with the hashtag #40daysofworship or just follow along on your own. I pray that this time will be a blessing as we prepare our hearts for resurrection Sunday!