“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me…” - Psalm 51:10
It is Christian tradition to give up something for 40 days starting from Ash Wednesday (that’s today!) to mentally and spiritually prepare for Easter. Lent is a time for Christians to re-focus their lives back towards Christ by giving up something that is difficult for them to relinquish – usually a distraction of some sort. Instead, the time that would have been allotted for ‘A’ or ‘B’ would go towards spiritual renewal and reflection (and just an overall better use of time).
Guess what I’ll be giving up this year?
This year I’ve decided to give up Facebook. I’ve thought about giving up Facebook for lent for the past 3 years, but always found a reason not to. This is going to be HARD for me. An inordinate amount of my internet time goes to Facebook, so for the next 40 days I’m leaving it behind. It is without a doubt, one of my biggest time sucks.
The soul is as important to our health as our mind and body, yet, it is one of the most neglected. It’s so easy to go on cruise control throughout our days without one moment of pause (sorry, vegging out in front of the TV doesn’t count). I know my soul is thirsty and I hope these next 40 days will be a time of refreshment.
If you do celebrate Lent, what are you giving up?
If you aren’t celebrating Lent, what distractions are cluttering your life that weigh you down?
