Wed 27 Feb 2008
Lent (for those who aren’t in the loop) is a forty-day-long period prior to Easter, for most Christian denoms of which I’m aware — and while there’s a lot more going on that just this, the big Lent hook is giving something up for the duration, as a sort of spiritual sacrifice, a preparation of the faithful for the celebration of the rebirth of Christ.
But why should they have all the fun? If you had to give up something meaningful for forty days, what would it be, and why? (And if you’re a practicing Christian getting your Lent on as we speak, what are you foregoing?)
Posted by Josh Millard3 answers so far!
Okay, let's hear it.
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I gave up RSS for Lent.
No, seriously.
The point of forgoing something in Lent is to provide a constant spiritual reminder. Gave up coffee? Everytime you would’ve gotten coffee before, you’re now reminded of the Lenten time of spiritual preparation. It’s actually a great psychological tool.
Keeping that in mind, it’s doubly nice to give up something for Lent that’s a time sink. That frees up time that you could then commit to spiritual growth and devotions. Enter Google Reader.
I spend way too much time in my news reader these days, so a 40 day hiatus was just what the doctor ordered. I’ll admit, the first week or so was painful. I was tempted many, many times to fire up Google Reader and check out what I was “missing”. Every time I get the urge, though, I’ve filled the time with reading through the Gospels. It’s been a valuable experience, so far. I do wonder how this will affect my post-Easter habits. Will I dive back into the information firehose, or will I have learned some moderation from this? Only time will tell, I suppose.
OK I’ll go first. Lent is not part of the religious tradition I was raised with. A few years ago, though, I decided to participate by giving up Diet Coke. I lasted about a week. Then I started thinking about the idea of giving something up for a period of time, and what I hoped to accomplish by doing this. Was the point of it to suffer a little? To grow spiritually? For me, having no Christian tradition to uphold, I thought I’d see if I could give up something that would make me a better person. Last year I tried to give up mean thoughts about people. You know, things that I’d think to myself, like, “Girl, you need a decent haircut and an updated look, you are so 80’s”, or, when spending time with my sister-in-law, I’d think, “You are so incredibly stupid and it’s hard to have any sympathy for the bad situations you’re constantly in because it’s always a result of your poor decisions.”
I have to say I need to work on this. It’s hard. This year instead of going at this in terms of giving something up, I’m going to put a positive spin on it. I’m going to look for something good in everything. So the next time my SIL does something boneheaded and pathetic, I’ll remind myself that she’s got a generous spirit and means well. Things like that. I can certainly do that for 6 weeks. Especially if I’m sipping on a Diet Coke.
Meat. Except on feast days. I’m not Catholic anymore, but I decided after years of trying to eat more veggies and less meat I’d just go ahead and drop it for Lent.
But I really like meat. And it’s been a pain. For as “veggie-friendly” Seattle is, it’s strangely difficult to find a fridge-case salad that doesn’t have meat on it.
I thought I’d “feel better” and all that, but I’ve actually gained weight, and I don’t feel any better than I did before.
I am really looking forward to Easter now. I want a roast animal of some sort.