Alright, I’m halfway through Day 1 of Lent. I’ve decided to give up my biggest vice of all, sweets. I’m cringing as I type. Naptime, a mom’s only break during the day, is the WORST time of the day for me as far as sweets are concerned. It’s so easy to sit at my computer and eat and eat and eat one piece of Halloween candy after another. So here I am, at the computer, finishing up nap. Barely surviving, exaggerating…slightly. It’s only because I know I have to succeed because this change, 40 days or more, isn’t about me.

Earlier today, I was thinking about how hard this will be until I remembered….what I gave up last year. Last Lent, I gave up my spleen, most of my pancreas, my energy, my strength, and my appetite. I wasn’t healthy enough to participate in Lent. Who knew getting to participate in Lent was a blessing in itself?

The next time I begin to think of how hard this is/was, I will remember my last Lent. More importantly, I will be empathetic to the 40 years of wilderness wandering by the Israelites and our Lord’s 40 days in the wilderness at which point He was tempted by Satan. Lent is about changing your life for the better by avoiding temptation, sin.

Whether you participate in Lent or not, I encourage you to examine your life. What can you give up? What changes can you make, for the better? What can you add to your life?