I did not grow up with the practice of giving up something for Lent. I grew up in a house that practiced going to church each and every Sunday. The only exception was death. Your own. But, in the process of always going to church, the practice of religion's rules became crystal clear to me - not the relationship with Christ. It was later into my adult life that I began to uncover the joys of a relationship with Jesus Christ. But, that is a story for another time. The point here is that I didn't do the whole "what are you giving up for Lent" thing as a kid.
When my hubby and I were in our early years of marriage, one of the cities we lived in found us surrounded by a population that was heavily Catholic. At that point, I got the full impact of how other people were "giving up something" for Lent. What I could see was that all the things given up seemed to be like vices that maybe should be given up anyway: pop drinking, desserts, alcohol, chocolate, smoking, etc. Then there was the practice of not eating any meat on Friday. Of course FISH was ok - since you pick fish off bushes and trees, once they have sprouted from the ground and fully ripened from the seed. (whatever!) I remember being at gatherings on Friday nights and some of the guests would wait until after midnight so that they could eat the meat-filled appetizers. There were even a few that gave up meat entirely for the whole 40 days. It all seemed so superficial to me, and I couldn't see how any of that was going to mean anything to God.
Flash forward many years and at least one move later in my life. I had a new circle of friends, a new church family, and was surrounded by many people who had a deep relationship with Jesus. They were more focused on Him, and pleasing Him than on all the rules of the religion. One of my good friends pointed out - probably during a bible study around the time of Lent - that a person didn't have to GIVE UP something for Lent, there was another option. A person could ADD something to your daily routine that would be a discipline to help you grow your relationship with God. Like daily quiet time, or a daily bible reading, or adding some volunteer work, or praying for a specific person in need. Those suggestions and ideas were so new and so different for me - I was almost giddy that the burden of finding something to "give up/do without" had been lifted. The idea of adding something that would please God made much more sense to me. I could see how that would help my relationship with Him.
Don't misunderstand. In no way had I stumbled upon the perfect formula, or the ideal answer. I had tried the giving up scenario. I gave up chocolate. (gasp!) For those of you that know me well, that was a huge deal. And, I did it. Well, almost - there was an unfortunate incident where I was unknowingly sabotaged by a "salad" at a women's gathering, but I was able to recover and finish strong. The point for me was that even after proving to myself that I could do it, I hadn't proven to myself that I had made God any more of a priority in my world. I didn't feel like I had leaned on Him for strength, or brought myself closer to Him. In fact, I teetered on the edge of being prideful that I had been able to abstain from the forbidden item, and then conquered the cravings. I knew that THAT isn't what the point was supposed to be. Adding things seemed to be the answer, but I still struggle with what exactly to add.
So, here I sit watching Ash Wednesday creep up in the week ahead of me. I asked my hubby what he thought we should do to observe Lent this year. "Give Up or Add On" is sorta what I asked him. He had some good suggestions, and insights. And, I think we have figured out something to do together that is going to be a challenge, but also cause us to lean on God for help. It has to do with food because that seems to be a big stumbling block for both of us. I won't bore you with the details, at this point. But, my heart struggle is this: am I doing this for the right reasons? Yes, I want to lean on God more. But, I also know that the benefit of improved eating choices would be advantageous to me for many reasons. So, I have to be very careful to keep my heart in check. To copy a phrase "God will know my heart". Yikes!
An idea came to me today as I was getting ready to face my day. What if I made it a personal thing between God and me (and then share it here) to find God in my everyday stuff, and note it. Maybe even tie it in with a bible reference? I think that would be pleasing to God, help me grow my relationship with Him, and also keep me from doing something that seems too self serving, or overdone. This could get very interesting!
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