A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. ~Marion C. Garretty

A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.
~Marion C. Garretty

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Lent

Do you participate in Lent?  A lot of people view it as a Catholic Custom or Tradition.  It actually is common in Catholicism, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and even some denominations of Baptists.  Lent is traditionally a period of 40 days (give or take some depending on your denomination) from ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday where you commit to fasting and prayer and repentance in order to prepare your heart for Easter and celebrating the gift of salvation given by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I started participating in Lent in college.  Then, I admit, it was something new and I didn't take it to heart like I should have.  Through the years I have enjoyed this time of fasting and it has started to become a meaningful time in the year for me. 

This year, the thing that kept going through my mind the most was that I wanted to focus on making my body a healthy temple for God.  I wanted to make healthier choices and focus on eating to fuel my body and my body as God's vessel for ministry.  So, how do I "fast" that?  Well, I decided to give up Sweets and sugar.  That was a no brainer.  Secondly, though, I decided to give up meat (except fish-a girls gotta have some protein).  Meat is much higher in fat and calories and has the potential to become unhealthy very quickly depending on preparation.  I decided that giving up meat would force me to be creative and think about what I am making and think outside the box to find healthier recipes with leaner proteins and fewer calories.  This has been a lot of fun and delicious!  I have found myself praying each morning that God would help me make healthier choices and through out the day when I am tempted as well. 

There are some that disagree with Lent for various reasons, one being that it is not commanded that we do it in the Bible.  Where this is true, it is also not commanded that we celebrate Christmas or Easter and yet, people don't argue with those.  I think the idea behind Lent is honorable and I don't think that there is a problem with truly committing to focus on God and grow closer to Him through fasting and prayer (which are BOTH mentioned in the Bible).