You Must Give Up to Have It All

The season of Lent is upon us which means it is time to give something up for 40 days to represent the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness overcoming one temptation after another from the devil. The purpose for most Christians is to use these 40 days to draw closer to Christ as we prepare our heats and minds for His death, burial, and resurrection on Easter Sunday. As a child and young adult I often gave us things like soda, pizza, and chocolate (the struggle was real with that last one, let me tell you.) Looking back though, none of those things prepared  my heart and mind for Easter. I guess you could call it discipline but I always found other things to takes it's place and it wasn't Jesus.It was more of a challenge, a game, and then I binged on whatever it was that I gave up.

In the last  few years, as my relationship with God as strengthened, I have instead found things to add to my daily life during this time that would help me grow spiritually. Some include, going through a specific Bible study, sending some form of encouragement to at least one person a day, and being more intentional in prayer. I found that these personally worked better for me as I sought after God and tried to intentionally show love to others.

This year it didn't take me long to figure out how I was going to live out the 40 days of Lent. Over the past several months I have found myself severely distracted. A girl who watched very little t.v. in the past now finds herself mindlessly watching shows at night that she doesn't even care about. She thinks abut reading her Bible or reading the next chapter of a spiritual growth book that is sitting on her night stand but it is easy and comfortable to stay on the couch and not think. Well, that girl is me and I keep giving myself the same excuses, "I deserve to be lazy after work," "I'll  read double tomorrow," or "I'm too tired." I've talked with my accountability friend about it and she has prayed for me but I don't do anything substantial about it. I read a quick devotional and think I've made up for it.

My second distraction is social media. Another mindless activity that takes up too much of my day. I mean, I have picked up my phone at least 3 times since beginning this  post. Why?!?! Like t.v., it can become an addicting habit. Half of the time I don't even realize I'm picking my phone up and opening apps until 30 minutes have passed me by. Why am I so interested in what someone had for lunch today anyway? Why do I read comments from the news media posts knowing that they get me upset every time because of rudeness and ignorance? Now social media isn't all bad. I try my best to use my platform for positive and encouraging posts. I like to believe that I have helped others in that way. Many of my friends do the same and it is nice to stay connected in a way to far away friends. But there is just so much nonsense to filter through.

All of this being said, for Lent I will be setting restrictions for myself with the t.v. and with social media. I will use this time to be more intentional with reading my Bible and spending time alone with God. I will use this time for prayer. My accountability friend and I are even beginning an awesome book study this week that I am super excited about. I want to focus my eyes back on the truth. I am also hoping that this will allow me to be more productive with my time and getting other priorities back in order. Although I am not giving these things up completely I will be finding a healthy balance which includes a lot more Jesus and a lot less of worldly things. He must become greater, I must become less. Feel free to ask me how it's going. Keep me encouraged with your accountability.

Here are some other great ideas for things to do for Lent:

• Pick one item from your house each day to put in a giveaway pile and donate that pile to a local shelter at Easter.

• Set out to help at least one person per day (help an elderly person or a mother with young kids with bringing their groceries out to the car, let someone in front of you at the checkout line, buy coffee for the person behind you at the coffee shop, offer to watch a friend's kid for a couple hours so they can get away, invite someone over for lunch or dinner, etc.)

• Hand write and give or send an encouraging word to a different person each day. It could be a simple as a Bible verse or to let them know you are praying for them.

• Cut back on your spending and use some of that money to increase your tithe or donate to a charity.

• Give up gossiping.

• Volunteer at your local soup kitchen, animal shelter, or another non-profit once a week.

Whatever you choose to do I pray that it will draw you closer to Christ and help you become even more like Him with your thoughts, words, and actions.