#lent2020 #waterwalkinggirls
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
For the last two weeks Julie and I have offered our thoughts and feelings about Lent. Last Friday Julie shared that she has been led to give up coffee which is an item that she loves. I too felt this year I needed to give up something that was big so that I could really sacrifice and be intentional about this time of Lent. I had prayed and had tossed around some possibilities but hadn’t for sure settled on my item until Tuesday morning when I was writing and came across the thoughts about Lent from catholicspirit.com: “When we come forward to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday we are saying that we are sorry for our sins, and that we want to use the season of Lent to correct our faults, purify our hearts, control our desires, and grow in holiness so we will be prepared to celebrate Easter with great joy.”

Now let me explain. Several years ago I began to focus on my health. As you may know or may have experienced, as a wife and mother we often focus on meeting the needs of everyone else before we meet our needs and therefore do not take care of our health as we should. In July of 2017 I changed my mindset and began to do better. I made gradual changes in my eating and began to exercise. Long story short, I did well for a little over a year and then in November 2018 I went to Disney World which is one of my favorite places ever. One of our favorite things about Disney World is the dining plan and the opportunity to eat at many nice restaurants. I decided ahead of time that I would throw caution to the wind and eat any and everything I could possibly want. And that is just what I did. Granted it was a wonderful trip, we made precious memories, and we ate delicious food. However, I ate way more food than I needed. What really happened was I began a downward spiral with my eating. We returned home the day before Thanksgiving so I continued my overeating and of course Christmas was close behind. Thus the pattern was set. I would have periods of coming to reality, feeling guilty, “trying” to do better but never truly changed my mindset. Fast forward to last week. Last week as I prayed about what to give up for Lent I asked God to open my eyes to any area that I have lost focus of Him or anything I had put before Him. My overeating and focus on food was what kept coming to mind. I realized I had allowed “the thief” to come in and “to steal and kill and destroy.” I had fallen into the pattern of overeating. The definition of gluttony is habitual greed or excess in eating. I had to do something drastic to change my focus and repent. I first said I would give up carbs but I don’t want Lent to be like a diet where I am being so focused on what is in various foods. That is not the reason I am sacrificing. So instead I am specifically giving up bread, rice and potatoes. I am giving these up because “I want to know Christ-yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11 I want to walk so closely with Christ these 40 days that I feel the dust off His shoes, that I hurt when He hurts, that I am sad when He is sad, and in the end I rejoice when He overcomes the grave.
How about you? Have you identified something that has pulled you away from the Cross? Are you making a sacrifice during Lent? It is not too late to begin. If you are participating in Lent, spend some time today thanking Jesus Christ for the opportunity to grow closer to Him during this time of Lent. Take some time to walk the dusty road with Him as He walks closer to His death and resurrection.