Lent- Day 1

Today is the first day of Lent- March 9, 2011. I'll be honest, I've never really understood the point of Lent. It seems rigid, formal, and legalistic. I know what Christ did for me, and I'm thankful. I didn't feel like I needed to take on the role of a temporary martyr by denying things like sugar, media, and caffeine just to feel closer to Christ. I didn't mind if other people did those things, and I didn't mind if people refrained, like me. I guess it pretty much took up non-issue residence in my mind.

I know many people who do practice Lent annually. Many have grown up practicing Lent in their families and faith backgrounds. Some have taken it up as they've matured. I can honestly say, I really don't see an outward difference in those that do and those who don't practice Lent. So, why do people do it? What's really the purpose? Is it enough just to do it out of duty and tradition, or is there something more behind it? If doing it regularly doesn't actually change you, why do it?

If you know me at all, you know that I don't do anything without asking "why". And so, this is my feeble attempt of asking God "why Lent? What exactly is it? Does it really matter to You? Is this a discipline that is truly important, or have we humans turned something You did into something You never intended us to do? Am I less or more of a Christ-follower if I do this?" These are questions I have. They're questions I've had a for a long time, and frankly have just been too lazy to take the time to ask them.

So, in an attempt to ask these questions well, I'm going to practice Lent this year. My husband has done it a time or two, and honestly, I've chalked his past experiences up to being a "band-wagon jumper" and an homage to his one-year of attending a Catholic College. When he told me he was going to do it again this year, I once again started going down the "seriously?" path. He told me this year he wanted to incorporate the Daniel Fast during Lent, except take Sabbaths off from the fast. They actually have a fast on that? Oh yes. If you google it, you'll find tons of info and blogs. Basically, you'll see that you have to refrain from sweeteners, alcohol, all meat, all dairy, all processed foods, leavened breads, hard fats, beverages except water, and fried foods.
http://danielfast.wordpress.com/daniel-fast-food-list/
Here's one to check out if you're actually interested. Needless to say, this time I was slightly intrigued.

Due to my age and family history, I've taken much more interest in my health and body of late. Both my parents and both my brothers are now type 2 diabetics. The handwriting on the wall does not look good for me unless I start taking my health seriously. So after my own careful researching, I decided I would try this Daniel fast with James, but not for the sake of Lent, but for the sake of my health. Once I committed, I started getting grouchy and feeling very closed in, and I hadn't even started the dumb thing yet! I've now had about three weeks to change my mind about this decision, and in those three weeks I realized a couple of things.

First, I'm a really horrible self-disciplined person. I'm not a quitter, but I'm also not self-disciplined. This is an area I've felt God wanting to grow me in a lot, and I just keep resisting b/c I don't want to purposefully put myself in a position to fail. You see, I'm a perfectionist (shocking, I know), and perfectionists resist things that they can fail at. I never make goals, resolutions, and variations of the such b/c I never see the point. We're human. We fail at things. So why tell the world what you're going to fail at? Anyhow, I felt (or more accurately, it was the Holy Spirit prompting me to feel) this was a great opportunity to not only work on living more healthfully, but at the same time practice self-discipline. Seriously, just writing both those statements was like fingernails on a chalkboard for me.

Secondly, I realized that if I'm really going to commit to two things I seriously find uncomfortable, why not throw in a spiritual component too and take on trying to understand Lent. Honestly, I know it's all inter-related. I have a Master's degree that tells me that. Frankly, maybe my knowledge on all this has actually been more of a hindrance to me than a help. I know this process will be filled with lots of self-discovery, but honestly, I'm hoping it will be filled with a lot more than that!

So, there it is. Starting today, for the next 40 days, I'm going to explore Lent, health, and self-discipline. Just as a forewarning, you may want to stay away from me for the next month, b/c though I'll try to behave, I'm sure there will be some grouchy moments! I'll try to blog something everyday as time allows to keep an account of how I'm doing and what I'm learning. This is for me. You're welcome to read it. You can even leave comments if you like, but I can't guarantee they won't irritate me. If they do, however, I'll get over it! Probably around the same time I get my first slice of cheese or granita or pasta! Now, I'm off to go find something to eat for breakfast!


"We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way, and the sin that so easily holds us back."