What are you giving up for Lent?? I've decided to give up procrastinating because that is obviously one of my most beloved pastimes of late. We'll see how long this lasts, but I'm going to try.
We give up something we enjoy for Lent as a penance or self-punishment for all our transgressions and Christian short-comings. Some people actually do fast for the 40 days of Lent (not counting Sundays). Some people include things in their daily schedules like reading daily scriptures or the like to help them be more mindful Christians during this time.
I'm not going to fast though because if I do, my medicine will make me very sick. This getting old thing is not as much fun as I was led to believe as a child.
Yes, it is exactly 40 days, not counting Sundays, from Ash Wednesday until Easter, which happens to fall on my younger granddaughter's Sweet 16 birthday this year. Traditionally, those are 40 days of fasting, with feasting on the Sundays.
Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, and other Christian denominations observe Ash Wednesday. Ashes from the blessed and burned palm branches of the previous year's Palm Sunday are placed on the foreheads of worshipers as the pastor or priest says:
“You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)
This is a day in which we are reminded of our mortality and sinfulness, so that we can truly appreciate the gift of forgiveness that Jesus gave us with his mortal life. After the self-discovery of Lent, we will be able to better understand Jesus's sacrifice for us and appreciate the joy we feel in celebrating His resurrection come Easter Sunday.
Lent is truly a time of self-reflection. It is a time for us to be honest with ourselves and assess why we are here and what we want to accomplish in the time we have left on this planet. It is a time to repent of our sins and try to become the best person we can be.
Yes. This is a daunting task. Lent is not easy. No one ever promised that knowing yourself and living a good life would be easy. Much like everything else worth having, we have to work at being a good person and living a good life.
So...today, of all days, even if you are not a Christian, please take a moment to be thankful for your life and ask yourself, "Why am I here? What have I accomplished in this life? What do I want to accomplish before I return to dust? How would I like to live the rest of this life? What can I do to become the best person I can?"
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