Daily Lenten Haiku

Haiku is an ancient Japanese form of poetry consisting of seventeen syllables in three lines of five, seven, and five. In a mysterious way, the strict limitation sometimes evokes stronger expression.

I was inspired in 2025 to write a daily haiku by Emily P. Freeman (The Soul Minimalist) in the Lenten Collection for her Quiet Collection app, in which she includes a haiku with her daily reflections. I’ve removed the 2025 dates so anyone can move through these during Lent of any year.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues until Holy Saturday (the day before Easter). The total number of calendar days in that span is 46 days. However, there are six Sundays during Lent. Because each Sunday is considered a weekly celebration of the Resurrection—a “mini-Easter”—they are not included in the penitential 40-day count.

Ash Wednesday

Growth is what I seek
Growth in spirit and wisdom
Growth to love you more

Lent Day 2

Draw near in weakness
Touch my hem; renew your strength
I am all you need

Lent Day 3

I must not forget
It’s okay to share my pain
But not wallow there

Lent Day 4

When friends are hurting
They need me first to listen
Quiet presence heals

Sunday #1

Just for today, Lord
I lay it all down to rest
Restore and fill me

Lent Day 5 (Harriet Tubman in 2025)¹

Harriet Tubman
She trusted God in all things
Honor her today

One thing she believed
Prayer alone is not enough
Action must follow

Lent Day 6

Inspired by the 2025 theme of Daughters First Retreat at Glen Eyrie

The twenty-third psalm
The promise: rest and restore
You keep promises

Lent Day 7

Inspired by Jennifer Dukes Lee, keynote speaker at Daughters First Retreat at Glen Eyrie

He leaves the light on
A beacon in the darkness
A safe place to rest

Lent Day 8

To make room for you
I must decide what should go
My heart is open

Lent Day 9

Inspired by the setting sun near Harper’s Ferry, WV, driving home from Baltimore

Blazing ball of sun
Descending makes way for night
Morning always comes

Lent Day 10

Inspired by returning home after being away for five days

Returning home now
Joy and anticipation
A foretaste of home with God

Sunday #2

Inspired by Jennifer Sakara’s workshop “Rhythms of Rest” at Daughters First Retreat at Glen Eyrie

Time away to rest
Jesus modeled that for me
Restored and transformed

Lent Day 11 (St. Patrick’s Day in 2025)

Feast of St. Patrick
He walked the hills of Ireland
Sharing faith and love

Lent Day 12

Inspired by Marnie Hammar’s workshop “Hearing Loss” Daughters First Retreat at Glen Eyrie

Open ears and heart
Who knew they were connected?
Body and spirit

Lent Day 13

Inspired by Erin Greneaux’s workshop “Decluttering the Soul” Daughters First Retreat at Glen Eyrie

Time for soul cleaning
What to toss and what to keep?
God knows if you ask

Lent Day 14

Danger zone for me:
I can so I think I should
Okay to say No

Lent Day 15

The powerful pause
Before I commit to more:
Is it mine to do?

Lent Day 16

He answers questions
But I don’t know what to ask
He knows…it’s okay

Sunday #3

Inspired by Daughters First Retreat at Glen Eyrie

I’m His daughter first
First, before anything else
Every single day

Lent Day 17

His word was spoken
Into the vast void of space
In the beginning

Lent Day 18

God, Creator, Source
Names that speak to all You are
All You mean to me

Lent Day 19

Inspired by Pamela Henkelman’s workshop “Managing Mindset, Motivation, and Maturity,” Daughters First Retreat at Glen Eyrie

Just do the good work
And leave the outcome to God
I can’t control it

Lent Day 20

Inspired by this wonderful quote: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince)

”Where is God?” you ask
Sometimes we can’t see with eyes
Only with the heart

Lent Day 21

Who ever has time
To reflect, pray, and wonder?
We must fight for it

Lent Day 22

The world moves so fast
What anchor will slow me down?
God, I reach for you

Sunday #4

I am so fickle
One day I’m sure; next I doubt
You have never changed

Lent Day 23

Can it be true, Lord?
No one is beyond your reach?
I have judged harshly

Help me to see them
As worthy of being loved
By you and by me

Lent Day 24

I have so much, Lord
Spare me from complacency
There’s enough to share

Lent Day 25

Light a fire in me
Give me a heart for justice
You called us to serve

Lent Day 26

Let me be a light
That illuminates the path
Leading straight to You

Lent Day 27

Spring shouts of rebirth
In every bud, bulb, and bloom
Messages of hope

Lent Day 28

Inspired by a chapter in 40 Voices: A Lenten Devotional by Jean Wise

When a toddler falls
She gets up and tries again
We cheer her effort

When we make mistakes
God is there to help us up
And teach us the way

Sunday #5

Do not fear failure
Failure can teach us lessons
About grace and hope

Lent Day 29

What do I know now
From my dark night of the soul?
You never left me

Lent Day 30

It was illusion
I was never in control
Hard to let it go

Lay that burden down
It serves no one but Ego
Don’t pick it back up

Lent Day 31

Why does our best growth
Come from walking through the dark?
Be my light and guide

Lent Day 32

I need not fear dark
You are God of day and night
Of sun, moon, and stars

Lent Day 33

Lent and Wilderness
Inextricably entwined
God makes a way through

Lent Day 34

I know God is there
Am I waiting or hiding?
He always finds me

Sunday #6- Mom’s 100th birthday in 2025

Lent Day 35 – my 75th birthday in 2025

Birthdays are milestones
Resilience, stamina, hope…
Hope for what’s ahead

Lent Day 36

Doubts are old as time
God can handle our questions
Wants us to see truth

Lent Day 37

Give thanks for the rain
Thirsty growing things rejoice
Essential to life

Lent Day 38 – Maundy Thursday

Betrayed long ago
Off’ring himself to us still
Through the bread and wine

Remembering Him
We share the meal He gave us
Bread and wine restore

Lent Day 39 – Good Friday

He cried out to God
Why have you forsaken me?
God heard. He hears still…

Lent Day 40 – Saturday of Holy Week

The day after death
They must have felt fear, despair
Incomprehension

Help me remember
When I walk through dark places
Tomorrow will come

The Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day

I choose to believe
In the power of risen Lord
Help my unbelief

If He died for me
I can surely live for Him
Love is my North Star

1. Harriet Tubman is honored in Lesser Feasts and Fasts of The Episcopal Church on March 10 as a part of its Holy Women, Holy Men commemorations (now included in A Great Cloud of Witnesses). While The Episcopal Church recognizes individuals whose lives exemplify Christian virtues and faithfulness. Tubman is not officially titled a “saint” in the formal, canonized sense, but she is celebrated as a prophetic witness and liberator, particularly for her role in leading enslaved people to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Her recognition in the Episcopal calendar highlights her extraordinary courage, faith, and commitment to justice, aligning her legacy with the Christian call to love and liberation. ↩︎

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