Lent is a period of sacrifice in the Christian calendar during which adherents emulate Jesus Christ’s 40 days in the desert. It is a time for reflection. It is a time for abstinence. It is an experience meant to bring one closer to God and to Christ. It is a journey culminating with the celebration of Jesus’ glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Of course, if you’re like me, a less-than-dutiful Catholic, the easy way out is too tempting a path. Why give up something that will continually remind you of your spiritual devotion when you can offer up something that’s less than a blip on anyone’s radar? A child, giving up a favorite snack is pretty much the end-all be-all of tragedies, but they’ll get over it. Maybe you’ve committed to cleaning up your bedroom every night before bed, but how is that bridging the distance between yourself and the almighty Lord of all creation?
Not that I want to shame anyone for less significant shows of devotion. I’m guilty of a few myself, after all, but I’ve observed some laughable examples throughout my 36 years on God’s green Earth. Children and adults both are guilty of this. With less than a week to go before Ash Wednesday, I submit this to let you know what I, in my reliable authority on such matters, deem as too trivial, founded upon selfish motivations, or just decided upon thoughtlessly.
Giving up <Snack or Food Item>
Abstaining for forty days (and some change) from a beloved consumable item isn’t a bad idea, but does the choice pain you and/or return your thoughts to spiritual reflection? Don’t get me wrong, I reluctantly gave chocolate milk multiple times, but there was no great void in my life and after a couple days, I barely noticed. Also, some suggest that removing candies and snacks from your diet is as much a self-serving act than it is a devotional gesture. You might miss it, but how aware are you of its absence? Does not eating licorice or chocolate or pizza provoke a physiological reaction?
Giving up pop or alcohol
Admirable sacrifices, but again they’re almost too beneficial to the self, thus self-serving to abandon for a time. For that matter, should either be so present in our lives anyway? Not that I’m advocating temperance of the devil’s nectar nor am I suggesting you never drink a delicious Wild Cherry Pepsi, but removing the options from our lives, if only for a time, is again self-serving and trivial. Noting wanting to demean it, since giving either the cold-turkey treatment can provoke a bodily response, but too often is this sacrifice relied upon that it’s hardly a novel idea.
Giving up social media
In recent years, social media sacrifices are on the rise, and it’s one that even I embraced. I can’t deny the impact it effected in my life, but I’m not so sure it brought me any closer to God. Conservations with others who sacrificed similarly yielded the knowledge that resulting thoughts weren’t to reflect or pray but to seek out another activity to fill the vacuum once occupied by social media distractions. Ultimately, online addictions are real but with the rise of people professing their intention to give up Facebook (via a Facebook status no less), and other social media platforms, I question how much time was invested in the decision.
A cynic through and through, I’m prone to harshly judging others’ motivations for just about everything they say or do. Thus, I admit that my grumbling here should be taken with a few grains of salt and maybe even a bit of eye rolling. However, as we all prepare for Lent, as least those of us who partake, I encourage serious reflection. Rather than focus on “what to give up for Lent,” mull over the “why” and “what is our motivation” for giving anything up at all. Give up your chocolate or soft drinks or social media apps, but lend that decision some reflection on whether it’s selfish or if you’re doing it because it’s the first thing to come to mind. It’s not just the sacrifice that matters, but the enlightenment resulting from the journey.
