Week One: RECEPTIVITY
Week Two: REFLECTION
Week Three: DISCIPLINE
Week Four: TEMPTATION
Week Five: OBEDIENCE
Week Six: SACRIFICE

I will be journalling these privately, but I may share some thoughts here in the coming weeks.  Is anyone else doing something like this for Lent?

Be careful not to do your “acts of righteousness” before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Today I went to church for the noon service and got the ashes on my forehead.  I also fasted until sunset, and after hearing this passage from the Gospel, I was humbled.

For Lent this year, I will be giving up all drinks except for water, brewed coffee, and brewed tea.  This may not sound like a big deal, but think about all that is included in that.  No juice, no Diet Coke (which I drink a LOT of), no milkshakes, no wine, no Starbucks drinks (and I work at Starbucks) . . . a lot!  I am also repeating something I gave up last year, which is pastries from Starbucks.  Since I work there, we constantly have samples available, or it’s so easy to want a snack and just buy a cookie or something since it’s there.  So those are my things that I’m giving up!

Yup, Lent is coming soon!  Ash Wednesday is in tomorrow and is the first day of Lent.  I think I know what I’m giving up this year, and it was partially informed by a great post that I read over at ThinkChristian.  Here’s a small excerpt:

Lent begins in just two weeks, and I’ve always found it beyond coincidental that just as the receding snow reveals the unappealing garbage underneath, the spiritual disciplines of denial associated with Lent do the same for one’s soul.

Giving up certain things—like sex, certain foods, alcohol, caffeine—often reveals all too clearly our reliance on those things.  I know of people who have worked to give up coffee for Lent, others who have set aside all sweets, still others who have relinquished alcohol.  None of these people were addicts (except maybe the coffee lover), but all of them struggled to give up their chosen item.  Once they made the choice to renounce it, the hold the item had became that much stronger.  But moving into surrender, they realized how bound they were.  Naming their temptation was like holding a hair dry to a snow drift: suddenly the thing that seemed so unremarkable became very ugly.

But that is exactly the point.  We are not asked during Lent to give up things that are easy to give up.  We are not asked to set aside chocolate if we never eat it or coffee if we never drink it.  We are called to give up those things that tempt us to rely on them and not on Christ.  We are called to set aside those behaviors that move us into sin (whether that be idolatry or sloth or pride or lust or…), and replace them with behaviors that move us closer to Christ.

I’ve always tried to pick something to give up for Lent that would be a challenge – past things have included pasta, caffiene, potatoes, and cheese (they may not sound like that big of a deal, but trust me, they were . . . especially cheese).  I’ll discuss this year’s choice tomorrow, but I’m curious to know what others are giving up for Lent (or are you not participating?) – please share in the comments!

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:16-18

I am thankful for the season of Lent, and for the potential that the season holds! May the Lord be with you during this time of introspection and discovery!

See what others are thankful for at Sting My Heart!

For more information on Ash Wednesday, which is tomorrow, I suggest you look at the article on Wikipedia, which is helpful for those unfamiliar with Ash Wednesday (and it’s also a nice little reminder of what the event is for those of use who are familiar).

And to help prepare for Lent, which begins tomorrow, please check out some reflections by Dr. Betsy Barber found at Homemaking Through the Church Year. These comments were VERY insightful, and I think you will enjoy them as I have!

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

1 Corinthians 6:19

OK, that all sounds nice and dandy, you don’t really care about the intricacies of my food issues, LOL! I tell you this because I wanted to point out the thought that has gone into my decision, and the fact that for me personally this is a true sacrifice, and I don’t make this sacrifice to become a “martyr” and then complain the entire period of Lent – I make this decision because I know that this food has taken up too much room in my life, and that by getting rid of it, I will be forced to replace it with something healthier. I will be doing something to help clean up my body, which is God’s home. He gave me this body, and I have been disrespecting Him by disrespecting my body. I don’t think it’s necessary for me to give up cheese for the rest of my life, but by giving it up for Lent I will become less dependent on the food and more dependent on God as He helps me make healthier choices.

This year I am also going to do something new. I have heard many people say that they don’t give up something for Lent, but instead take something on, like a random act of kindness. This year, along with my sacrifice of food I will be sacrificing my time as well. I will be giving up time every day to spend with the Lord.

Now, I know what you’re thinking – you’re a Christian, don’t you do that anyway? Sadly, my answer is no (and this is my first time publicly admitting this). I don’t lie and say that I do spend time every day with the Lord, I just avoid the subject. When I was in high school, and even for the first half of my freshman year of college, I was very good about spending time in the Word and in prayer with God. I may not have gotten to it every day, but I’d say probably 4 or 5 days a week. Then, as college progressed, I got busier and busier, became tired, and wanted to spend my free time doing what I wanted to do. I lost my desire for time with the Lord.

Now, four years later, I see how this loss of devotional time has caused my walk to come to a standstill. I haven’t really strayed from the path, but I have become stagnant. And this is the worst thing of all. So, for Lent, I am committing to reading in the Bible along with a reading plan every day, and my goal in this is to strive for a newfound desire for time with the Lord. They say it takes 30 days to make something a habit, so I am aiming to create a time and ritual for my devotional that will last long past the Lenten season of 2007. If you have a spare moment, please pray that I can stay focused and committed to this aim.

I will be blogging about my progress throughout the Lenten season (and hopefully I will have great things to share from my time in the Word), and I look forward to others sharing their thoughts on Lent and the things they are committing to throughout the season.

Be sure to check out the Lenten Blog Carnival that will be happening on Ash Wednesday over at Homemaking Through the Church Year!