Thoughts on Lent

1. Lent is not necessarily good and not necessarily bad.

In the same way that Thanksgiving can be a celebration of thanks or gluttony, and Christmas can be a celebration of giving or greed, Lent can be a celebration of self-control or self-righteousness. The fact that Lent has pagan roots does not bother me, in the same way that the pagan roots of Christmas traditions do not bother me. Lent is not mentioned in the Bible, but then neither is Facebook. Both can be used for good or evil depending on the person. It all depends on the condition of your heart.

2. Sacrificing does not make you a better Christian.

1 Samuel 15:22
But Samuel replied:
   “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
   as much as in obeying the LORD?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
   and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

In other words, giving up chocolate or soda or TV or anything else will not make us more holy or pleasing to God. We need to be obedient to Him, glorifying Him with our lives, not by sacrificing petty things.

3. Observing Lent does not make up for the sins you committed while celebrating Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday.

That's not to say that you can't repent of those sins, and go on to live a holy life. However, don't think that you can "eat, drink and be merry," and then expect God to bless you because you're giving up your Wii for 40 days. According to this website, Mardi Gras is the "last hurrah" before Lent. This is simply not an acceptable belief or view of God. He does NOT allow for a day of sin, ever. God wants us to be the center of our lives always, and not just when it's convenient for us. While He is forgiving, He NEVER condones sin.

4. Lent should draw you closer to the Lord.

By abstaining from certain pleasures, you shouldn't replace them with other carnal things. Like with any fasting, use the extra time you have to pray and read the Bible. As I said before, giving up something does not make us holier, but it can give us an opportunity to draw near to God.

5. Celebrating Easter is FAR more important than observing Lent.

Again, I don't see a problem with giving up something for 40 days, but that cannot be our focus. Our focus must be Christ. There is nothing we can do to gain salvation. But Christ died for our sins and rose from the grave so that, if we believe, we would have eternal life. THIS is what we celebrate.

6. My plans for Lent:

I've been spending far too much time on the Internet than I should. I know that it has affected my parenting abilities. I think that if Lent had not been around the corner when I started considering a fast from the Internet, I would've just picked a day to start. However, since Lent start tomorrow, I'll take advantage of it, and take a 40 day Internet hiatus. And who knows? Maybe I'll get so used to not being on the computer, I won't go back! (I doubt it, but it wold be great if it weren't a vice!)

My hope is that I utilize my time in a way that is glorifying to the Lord and beneficial to my children and husband. I want to be available to play and read and snuggle whenever I'm needed. I want to be more focused on taking care of the house (not that it's a dump by any means, but it isn't always a top priority). And most importantly, I want to spend more time in prayer, seeking the Lord.

So, obviously, this means no blogging for 40 days. I think that I will keep my email on my phone, so you can still contact me that way. Otherwise, you can of course keep in touch by calling or texting. Hope you don't miss me too much!