hi.

why i observe lent

February 16, 2010 at 2:08 pm (god) (ash wednesday, lent)

Today is Fat Tuesday which means tomorrow is Ash Wednesday.  Growing up catholic, lent was a time where sweets among other bad things were given up without a thought as to why.  When I started not attending catholic churches I gave up on this task for a couple years but decided a few years ago to start back up again, but with a different perspective.

I like to look at these 40 (or 46, because I don’t give myself breaks on Sundays) days as a way to grow closer in my relationship to God and do something to better my life and/or those around me.  Last year, I said I would write a note/card to someone everyday for 40 days.  While I didn’t succeed in making it through all 40 days (I did, after a few more months make it to 40) it was great to take a few minutes each day to tell someone why they are amazing and how they have been a great part of my life.  I told my then small group about it and I know a couple others followed along on this journey.  It was great for all of us.  So lent doesn’t have to be abstaining from something, it can be adding something of value to your life and maybe someone else’s.

This year I have really felt challenged in two areas of my life.  One being time management.  I always complain about how I don’t have time for things, I always put off reading my bible or praying but somehow have time to read what all my friends (or internet-friends) tweet or post on their facebook and even update my pages several times a day.  I have an iphone and am constantly glued to it, it’s the first thing I go through when I wake up and the last thing before going to sleep.

Lenten promise #1: Say goodbye to twitter and facebook.
Goal: Read more of my bible.  Pray more.  Have more actual human interaction to see how things are going as opposed to the false sense of relationship that social networking can bring.

Another area is health.  It has been a long long road for me.  When I graduated from undergrad in 2005 I was close to 50 pounds heavier than I am now.  Last year I made huge progress by losing about 20, but with the start of school and my schedule going crazy I can see myself falling back into unhealthy habits.  I want to make it to my huge goal of having a healthy BMI, which I actually never thought would be possible just a few years ago.  Believe me everyone, it is possible.  So I don’t have a weight loss goal  but a friend told me a few days ago about something Blood:Water Mission is doing that almost coincides with Lent.  40 Days of water.  It’s not fasting or anything but choosing water instead of the 349343984348 other drinks that I can choose.  At the end of the 40 days you are supposed to donate the money to them that you would have spent on your cokes, lattes, hot chocolates, etc.  This 1) is for a good cause and 2) is good for me.  I don’t drink nearly as much water as I should and this will be especially hard when I need to pull an allnighter for a paper.  But hopefully goal #1 will help me with time management so I don’t have to pull an allnighter?

Lenten promise #2: Drink only water.
Goal: Save some money to donate to Blood:Water Mission and take a step towards being a healthier person and rid my body of my dependency on caffeine.

So there it is.  There were a million other things I thought about doing to become a “better” person but these two things were really on  my heart and I felt specifically challenged to do.  The next several weeks will be tough, but I know God is bigger than facebook, twitter, caffeine and any of the 168,894 drink combinations Sonic has  If you are doing something for lent, let me know, I’ll be happy to pray with and for you as you venture on whatever journey you have felt called to do.