Lent

It seems like all the rage these days is giving up something for Lent. Well, at least around CBC it is. For instance, someone is giving up Facebook, or someone is giving up media (ie: iPod, Internet, TV, movies, etc.), and the list goes on and on. I have been thinking what I could give up for Lent. This is harder then giving up Facebook, or media, and whatnot. I know that this will require will power on my part. I don't know if you have guessed what I am doing. I am trying to go for Lent without any junk food (ie: chips, chocolate bars, etc.). I am still debating on whether or not to include pop (or soda for you American folks). I know that I have a weakness for snacking. Sure snacking is not bad as long as you eat the right things. Even tonight I felt like having popcorn, but I decided not to because I know I don't need it.

As I sit here contemplating my decision, I do realize that going a week without any junk food is not that hard of a thing to do. But going Lent, 40 days without junk food might be a bit more difficult. I do realize that I start slow and that jumping into something like this might be "crazy" on my part. This is all apart of me trying to deal with my gluttonous self.

Dictionary.com's definition of gluttonous is... tending to eat and drink excessively; voracious.

I know that the beginning of that definition defines me personally in some respects. There have been times in the past when I would just gorge out on food and not feel guilty about it. Then afterwards I would pay for it because I would have eaten too much and then I would feel slugish and even more lazy then I already was at that particular point in the day. Even as I sit here typing I smell that unmistakable fragrance and aroma that is popcorn because someone made popcorn with a hot air popper. Just the sent alone makes me want to get a bag of popcorn and pop it and eat it till every last popped kernel is gone. But I will not do that. I will resist the urge and go against what I would sometimes do and that is to eat popcorn. There were even times during the past summer when I would staying at the farm, that I would take my hot air popper and pop some popcorn downstairs where I sleep. I would melt an artery clogging amount of butter and mix seasoning salt into it and eat it in my room while watching TV or a DVD. I didn't care. All I knew as I was eating it that the popcorn tasted good. Being here at CBC I have ate considerably less popcorn in just these few months then I ever have in my life. But there was one evening where just needed something to snack on and I was in dorm four and in there kitchen sat a bag of popcorn for roughly a month I was told at that point. I kept debating in my head whether or not I should pop it and eat it. I then gave into my cravings of wanting food. I popped it and ate it and I didn't feel guilty. There are many other tiimes where I wouldn't feel guilty about eating junk food or excessive amounts of it.

During my talks with Brian Frable (one of the teachers here at CBC), we have been talking about this issue of my gluttonous ways and he has seen me at lunch take a lot of food. I just need to talk to him about getting my accountability group set up because I will then need to stay accountable them about how much food I take.

Hmmm, I seem to have gone off track, but you get what I am saying. Now to get back to the issue at hand, I am giving up junk food for Lent. I didn't want to give up food totally. Nonetheless, I think this a step in the right direction giving up junk food.

I would really appreciate encouragment on doing this. If you feel like praying I would appreciate that as well. This is more then just giving up pop as one person here at CBC is doing. This is something I need to do for myself. Even though I think giving up pop is a good thing, this is something I need to do for myself. If I don't start eating less junk food now, then who knows what my life will be like in the future. I need to do for one of the biggest reasons and that is for my health. On my Grandma's side of my dad's side of the family, there is a history of diabetes and if I continue on this way then I may very well get diabetes and I don't want that at all.

In the end it may seem like I am giving up something that I don't need, but I also know that Lent is so much more. Lent is about the journey that Jesus goes on. Jesus retreated to the wilderness because to be tempted by the "Devil." He goes to the wilderness to fast for forty days and forty nights. Afterwards He was hungry and the devil tempted Him. Jesus overcame all of the devilish temptation of the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life by citing Holy Scripture to the "Devil." The "Devil" left Him. Holy Angels ministered to Jesus. Now Jesus begins His Galilean ministry.

Until next time: Lent is not just about giving up something that you don't need. Lent is also about Jesus and the reasons He fasted.