Giving Up and Lent
Ash Wednesday is approaching. March 1st will mark the start of another season of lent. Lent is a section of the Christian calendar I have traditionally ignored. Growing-up I did not really hear about it. It was just an unknown "holiday" marked on calendars.
My introduction came from my atheist and agnostic friends our senior year of high school. A few of them had grow-up in the Catholic Church or attended a Catholic school as some point. Giving something up for lent was an annual event like stockings at Christmas and New Years resolutions. It was a game "how long can I go without….?" They asked me what I was planning to sacrifice since I was the only person who attended church and actually believed in Jesus. They were surprised when I had no idea what lent was. They gave a crash course on the subject. Not sure how accurate it was but it went something like this:
"Lent is the days leading up to Easter and Jesus’ sacrifice for us. To prepare our minds and as an act of worship we give up something we love and enjoy." I’ve since learned that in ages past lent was also a time to add a spiritual discipline into daily life. The explanation sounded good to me so I gave up pop (soda depending on where you live).
That was the first and only time to date that I’ve recognised lent. This year I’ve decided to change that. Looking at my life and the things that are important to me and those that consume my time I’ve decided to give up MSN for the next 40 days. Also I am adding two things to my life. Prayer to start my day and running which has in the past been a time that focuses my thoughts on God and given me refreshing spiritual insights.
For those that I talk with on MSN see you in 40 days. For those that might be wondering I will still be blogging and responding to emails. Hopefully my response time will be faster since I won’t be distracted by conversations.
My introduction came from my atheist and agnostic friends our senior year of high school. A few of them had grow-up in the Catholic Church or attended a Catholic school as some point. Giving something up for lent was an annual event like stockings at Christmas and New Years resolutions. It was a game "how long can I go without….?" They asked me what I was planning to sacrifice since I was the only person who attended church and actually believed in Jesus. They were surprised when I had no idea what lent was. They gave a crash course on the subject. Not sure how accurate it was but it went something like this:
"Lent is the days leading up to Easter and Jesus’ sacrifice for us. To prepare our minds and as an act of worship we give up something we love and enjoy." I’ve since learned that in ages past lent was also a time to add a spiritual discipline into daily life. The explanation sounded good to me so I gave up pop (soda depending on where you live).
That was the first and only time to date that I’ve recognised lent. This year I’ve decided to change that. Looking at my life and the things that are important to me and those that consume my time I’ve decided to give up MSN for the next 40 days. Also I am adding two things to my life. Prayer to start my day and running which has in the past been a time that focuses my thoughts on God and given me refreshing spiritual insights.
For those that I talk with on MSN see you in 40 days. For those that might be wondering I will still be blogging and responding to emails. Hopefully my response time will be faster since I won’t be distracted by conversations.
Comments
Matthew, it hasn't been a week. Sorry for the lack of new posts. The school is in transition and that has been some internet issues. Good news in about a month I should have internet in my apartment and maybe even English cable!
Jo, I agree no blogging would be horrible