Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord. Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. Psalm 4:5-6 (NIV)
While I was raised and still am a Baptist and Baptists don’t generally practice Lent, for the last few years, I have found it a good way to prepare my heart for Easter. For too long, Easter was just a daylong celebration with a strange mix of pagan, baskets and bunnies, and the sacred, crosses and communion. Church followed by a big meal with family and then, it was over. With the introduction of Lent in my life, I have forty days to contemplate the great sacrifice that was made on my behalf. The principle of sacrifice is not something that Baptists generally talk about unless it is stewardship Sunday. For many years, I believed the only thing God wanted from me was my money and my time. I never thought about sacrifice as a way to turn my focus from myself and my wants towards God and His desires for me. The first forty days of 2013 have been very stressful. Despite a renewed call to prayer and a commitment to read my Bible through this year, health concerns, financial woes and work issues drew a lot of my attention. And when I am stressed, I turn to sugar. Like an addict, I can work my way through a bag of candy, a box of cookies, and a plate of cake in no time. It is my medication of choice, but is as temporary as pills and for someone who has diabetes in her family tree, just as deadly. So, I decided to give up sugar for Lent. Not just to wean myself away from the addiction or to give my body a break, but because it represents a way that I cope with life apart from God. Instead of turning to Him, I reach for the chocolate. Instead of hyping up on sugar, I hope to turn that craving into a craving for God. Another addiction in my life that is recent is Facebook. I joined it a few months ago to keep up with some old friends I met at a reunion and new friends I have made in Guatemala. But, while I don’t always update my page, I find myself clinging to my phone to see what other people have written, checking in as soon as I wake up in the morning, several times a day and frequently in the evenings. I heard a statistic that the average person spends five hours a week on Facebook. That is five hours I could spend doing more construction things like reading my Bible, praying, cleaning, or talking to my husband. So, in addition to sugar, I have given up Facebook for the next forty days. But, it is not really about what I have given up, but what I will chose to substitute for those things. Praying when I am worried instead of eating. Contemplation of spiritual matters instead of social ones. And remembering that Lent is not about my sacrifice, but about Christ’s.
It's about sacrifice. Nothing we could do could compare to the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, so choosing something difficult is one way to show you are making an effort to understand. For me, I try to give up something that I know is taking up too much space in my life and removing the focus from doing the things I know I should be doing or want to do. A few years ago, I gave up coffee. It was a great pick me up, but I wound up so buzzed that I couldn't accomplish much. These days I drink one or two cups a week rather than the pot and a half I was drinking every day. Another year, I gave up dairy. For someone who loves cheese as much as I do, that was a real sacrifice. This year, it's fast food. We have such busy schedules that we have come to rely on it, "nourishing" our bodies with things that are bad for it. In its place is food prepared at home. And I am preparing food for other people as well. One week a month, I'm feeding the college mission of our church dinner. One Wednesday in Lent, I'm feeding the members of our church before a service. I am trying to take the focus off eating and putting it on nourishing – with careful food choices and love.
Facebook is quite addictive. I use it myself and check it several times a day – but I never spend much time there, just enough to see if my brother in the middle east is alive, if my brother in Korea is happy, and if my brother in NYC is surviving the latest tragedy (he's had a few in the last few months).
Congratulations on your efforts – both are going to be hard for you and that, my friend, is the whole point!
Lent is an awesome opportunity to evaluate the balance in our lives. I have no doubts you will benefit greatly from your Lenten journey.
On a more practical note, Facebook is mostly superficial whereas blogs, like your post today, have more thought and more heart. Also, because many of us blog anonymously safer since FB security has been hacked.
Do visit ethercapacious.blogspot.com on Fridays in Lent. fishy
I recently read an article that said instead of giving up something for Lent – try doing something every day that you normally wouldn't do. More time reading your Bible, volunteering for 40 days somewhere – something that will benefit yourself AND others. It sounds like an interesting idea but I have to wonder if it's the same. I've given up something very hard for me this year and so far I am not having a 100% success rate. But that only makes me try harder, which makes me pray more so I think I'm accomplishing the intended purpose.
I wish I had thought of giving up sugar…
Find me on FB after Easter.
@ Sandcastle Mom,
I almost always choose to give something/do something as my Lenten devotion. For me this is a better fit because I understand Jesus gave us
everything!
The great thing about giving up chocolate is you are making a sacrifice which also results in corporeal improvements! A win-win for sure.
a good thread–insightful.
On the matter of giving up or doing more, reckon both would be ideal. Still, I'se ole school–giving up is VERY hard, an' seems to me we need that discipline over desires in order to grow spiritually.
( I Corinthians 9:27)
Too often our worldly desires–sensory thangs like coffee or sweets, an' social thangs like face book or lots of TV time –overtake our wills to do more for God. Least, that's often mah trouble. The sheer discipline of sacrifice during Lent helps me not be a captive to those body desires or social desires. My hope is that it might prepare me to withstand whatever temptations may come.
But…I WANT CHOCOLATE!!