I gave up Facebook for JESUS.

Hi, My name is Madelaine, and it has been exactly twenty-six days since I last went on Facebook. Well, except for Facebook messenger, because I use it for texting. Oh yeah and that one Sunday, because Sunday's aren't really lent. But that aside, I am such a good Christian that I didn't even go on yesterday. And that was a Sunday too! Oh and did I mention that I even gave up Pinterest?? I love you Jesus!

Er, right. While the above story is true, I don't think that it represents the correct attitude to have about lent. Not at all. See, Lent is season of preparation gearing toward's Jesus' death. It's not about me. It's about Him. 

Growing up, my dad always told me not to give anything up, which left me scratching my head. Everyone else at my church was giving things up. Why couldn't I? I believe he was on to something. He noticed that little 8 year old me didn't quite understand the purpose and point.

My best friend and I used to joke that we were going to give up doing homework for lent. One day, I squeaked out, "what would happen if I gave up....going to the BATHROOM. would I explode?" The two of us collapsed in a fit of giggles.

So, yeah. I think my dad understood that I wasn't quite old enough to grasp what Lent was really about. My question is though, do adults, really understand its purpose? I have a sneaking suspicion that quite a few do not. Let's talk about this picture.

I don't agree with this at all. First of all, lent is a season of preparation for the death of our Lord. Lent is not some happy occasion where we attempt to better ourselves. For too many, lent has turned into a sort of New Year's resolution, or maybe even resolution renewal. People give things up like "gossiping" or "getting drunk". In addition to the focus of these things being on ourselves and not on God, many times these are things that a Christian should not be doing anyway. 

"I'm giving up being mean to people"

--but shouldn't you always be nice?

"I'm giving up eating unhealthily"

--but isn't your body a temple and shouldn't you be treating it correctly all the time?

Lent is not about what you can do for yourself. Lent is a season of fasting. It's about giving up something so that you can greater appreciate what Christ has given up for us. For me, it's a struggle. Whenever I think about logging into Facebook or Pinterest I am reminded of what Christ has done for me. Yes, as an added bonus I get more homework done, but that's not why I gave it up.  I gave it up because I knew it would be hard for me. This season is about Jesus' work on the cross. So shouldn't He be the focus? 

What is lent to you?

"He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities.

The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,

and by his wounds we are healed."

-Isaiah 53:5

The Early Bird Gets Up Way Too Early

"And guess what else, Dad!" I exclaimed one day, a few weeks before the start of freshman year of college. "She's not a morning person either!" I had just discovered my roomate assignment, and was overjoyed because I just knew the two of us were going to get along. 

"Sounds perfect," Dad replied, with a sly grin on his face. "There will be little grief in your room".

"Yeah!....wait. Is that a pun?"