I've been thinking about what I wanted to do for Lent for weeks. I went back and forth on the usual options -- giving up social media, extra expenses, adding acts of charity, giving up more screen time, etc -- because nothing was really sticking this year. Aside from my live tweeting during the figure skating competitions at the Winter Olympics, I don't really tweet much. I'm not as addicted to social media as I once was. We (Mom and I) are on a strict budget so not spending money we don't have wasn't hard. I don't really watch TV (again, except for the Olympics right now) and I tend to read more than I watch TV so, again, not hard for me.
I've been going through lately (so much that it's going to take a couple of blog posts to sort through in the near future -- some good, some not so good, some amazing and overdue) that I decided to give up everything... and give up nothing.
That doesn't make sense, does it? How can I give up everything while giving up nothing? Do I ever make sense? lol. Yes, I'm going to explain myself and my train of thought.
I'm not giving up anything as an individual. My mother and I decided to collectively give up miscellaneous spending for the sake of our financial health but, again, that's not a big problem because of our strict, tight budget. It will mean that meal planning will be involved which will save us money when it comes to grocery shopping, which is essential. Beyond that, I'm not giving up anything in the usual sense.
I'm giving up everything in the sense that I'm giving up everything I once thought I knew. In my quest to completely abandon myself to God's will and His Divine Providence, I'm giving up more of myself. I'm giving up my fears. I'm giving up my doubts. I'm giving up my tangible certainties. I'm giving up the pride that comes with the knowledge I've accumulated in all my years of academic education and other experiences. I'm giving up on toxicity in my life. I'm giving up the negative. I'm basically giving up everything, interiorly and exteriorly, that will not matter at the end of my life.
I'm not giving up on my faith... my optimism... my hope... my love for God. I'm not giving up on treating my body with respect by taking care of it and nourishing it to the best of my abilities. I'm not giving up on my family and friends. I'm not giving up on my drive to do as much as I can to make God known and loved. I'm not giving up on the things that will get me closer to God and to my ultimate destination of Heaven.
I'm giving up everything... that is harmful to my body and soul.
I'm giving up nothing... that will help me praise the Lord for eternity once my time here on earth is complete.
Does it make sense now? ;)
Anyway, I have a lot to share over this next couple of weeks so stay tuned to this blog.
What are you all giving up (or adding) for Lent?
I hope you all have a good beginning of the season and that, if you're giving on social media for Lent and we're in contact through it, you let me know how we can stay in touch during this time. Let's all pray for each other!
That's it for now!
As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D
2 comments:
I love this! What you and your mom are collectively doing is kind of what we're doing-my husband and I have been making a list over the past several months of stuff we want to do for our house (get the insulation fixed, make curtains for the windows, etc) to make it more hospitable and homey, but it's so hard for us to get disciplined and make the time to do it. So, nailing down our To Do list for the house and committing to get things done together is one of our Lenten goals. I have a few other goals-taking my toddler to the nursing home, reading Pope Benedict's book on Jesus of Nazareth (the Holy Week one)-but I'm trying to be flexible to whatever God does. Literally nothing has gone the way I thought it would so far this week, so I'm just thinking this will be the Unpredictable Lent :)
That's a great goal for y'all! Sometimes we forget about what needs to be done in the house (actual needs, not wants) so nailing down what's necessary is great. I was hoping the read Jesus of Nazareth but our library doesn't carry the eBook. You'll have to let me know how it is! Let's hope and pray this Lenten season doesn't get too crazy.
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