It's Ash Wednesday. The start of Lent. Yesterday I thought about the different things I have given up over the years, and how ultimately they have prepared me for a bigger picture.
The year I got pregnant with Claire I gave up sleeping in past 9 o'clock. I was still going to school full-time and being pregnant I was always tired. But I pushed through it! Every chance I had to sleep in I was ALWAYS up before 9 o'clock. I think this prepared me for the many sleepless nights and early mornings I experienced with a newborn baby. Today, I still don't get many chances to sleep in. (But sleeping in for me nowadays is 8:30.)
The next year I gave up eating after dinner. I struggled with my weight after Claire was born. Especially from 3:00 in the afternoon and on I was staaaaarving. This was a real challenge as sometimes we would go out for ice cream after dinner or my MIL would make a delicious dessert. But I pushed through it!
This year I am giving up soda and spending money (except for essentials like groceries.) As we were heading out to dinner (I ruined what I planned to make last night) James said this was the last time we would eat out for all of Lent. So as a family we decided to give up going out to eat unless we weren't paying for it (his mom's birthday is Sunday and his dad had already planned on going out to eat that afternoon.) He made a good point: it's about breaking the habit. I'm anxious to see how my choices this year will affect me in the years to come. I want my bad habits of drinking too much Coke and spending money when I really shouldn't to be broken. And I want God behind it. Instead of putting energy into bad habits I want to use my time to enhance good habits. Like reading my Bible, spending more time playing with Claire, crafting, and being a good housewife.
I believe God has a lot in store for us this Lent season and the rest of this year. We just have to trust in Him.
"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us..." Psalm 67:1
"For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever..." Ezra 3:11
"But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy." Psalm 68:3
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