Heidi (my roommate at the time) gave up soda. I gave up being mean. That's what happened during Lent last year.
I can't tell you how we made those decisions, but we did. I'm sure some dramatic event influenced my decision. And I'm sure Heidi's decision was more thought out.
And I honestly can't tell you who had a harder time. I'd like to think I did, because not being mean included not being impatient, annoyed, frustrated, short-tempered, all that stuff... But, then I think about taking diet coke out of my life. I'm not sure I would survive. Regardless, we kept each other accountable and made it through Lent.
Giving up my "meanness" really did help me focus on God. I had to give every situation to God, regardless of the size, so I could consciously handle it in a way that would be pleasing to Him.
Giving up my "meanness" for Lent served it's purpose. I was emptied of myself and was continually relying on God.
This year, after many suggestions thrown around by Nick and Alicia (Nick's suggestions were marginally better then Alicia's.), I decided that I wouldn't be giving up anything.
With the weird health things I have going on, many of which effect my emotions, I just want normal. Not even normal. Steady. Something steady.
Yesterday was rough. Nothing was horribly wrong, but my "normal" has just been a little tougher than I'd like. I drove home after a long day and realized that giving up nothing was exactly what I needed to do. I'd love to take some major things out of my life, but (at least for the time being) that's not possible. So adding more of God to those pieces of my life seems like a good option.
So there you have it. It's untraditional, but that's what I'm doing for Lent.
I can't tell you how we made those decisions, but we did. I'm sure some dramatic event influenced my decision. And I'm sure Heidi's decision was more thought out.
And I honestly can't tell you who had a harder time. I'd like to think I did, because not being mean included not being impatient, annoyed, frustrated, short-tempered, all that stuff... But, then I think about taking diet coke out of my life. I'm not sure I would survive. Regardless, we kept each other accountable and made it through Lent.
Giving up my "meanness" really did help me focus on God. I had to give every situation to God, regardless of the size, so I could consciously handle it in a way that would be pleasing to Him.
Giving up my "meanness" for Lent served it's purpose. I was emptied of myself and was continually relying on God.
This year, after many suggestions thrown around by Nick and Alicia (Nick's suggestions were marginally better then Alicia's.), I decided that I wouldn't be giving up anything.
With the weird health things I have going on, many of which effect my emotions, I just want normal. Not even normal. Steady. Something steady.
Yesterday was rough. Nothing was horribly wrong, but my "normal" has just been a little tougher than I'd like. I drove home after a long day and realized that giving up nothing was exactly what I needed to do. I'd love to take some major things out of my life, but (at least for the time being) that's not possible. So adding more of God to those pieces of my life seems like a good option.
So there you have it. It's untraditional, but that's what I'm doing for Lent.
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