Lent

Observing Lent is a relatively new thing for me, i don't have much memory of it prior to 2008 when i moved North and the girls at my cosmetology school were talking about it ( as the good catholic's they were)   It was surprising to me, this discovery of Lent, and quite honestly i didn't think much of it.   I was surrounded by Catholic's and they all were observing Lent because they were catholic, and thats what Catholic's do. Except, nothing else in their lives led me to believe they followed Christ. Not that i am one to judge, and i don't make any claims to being perfect, but the stories i heard from them about their after-school activities, painted a very different picture than the devoted Catholic or Christ-Follower.

   So i wrote of Lent, thinking it was a silly tradition that need not be followed.

Fast forward to 2011 and suddenly all around me my fellow Christ-Followers are talking about Lent and observing it. Naturally i was intrigued, and so i asked questions, and i observed...
I discovered that Lent it about fasting, and drawing closer to Christ as we move closer to Easter. It's a preparation of our hearts to Celebrate Christ's resurrection.

And so, after years of saying i could never give anything up for that long,  i have finally decided to observe lent.

I am cutting out social media and TV, because i have found of late that it's consuming my life. And i want my life to be consumed with Christ. 

I went on a church retreat a few weekends ago, and i left my phone in my room for much of the weekend, and i found that i was at peace, for the first time in a long while. I long for that to be the every day. To be freed from the grip social media has on me, that i've allowed it to have on me.
So, starting today, no Facebook, no Twitter, No Hulu, No Netflix, no TV. I am allowed social tv watching ( my roommate and i have people over to watch a few shows during the week, and since its a time of fellowship, i feel that its ok to continue to watch those shows)

My goal is to 1) draw closer to Christ by cutting out distractions , 2) build up better friendships because i will have to be more intentional about contacting my friends. no relying on facebook or twitter to tell me what they are up to and 3) to hopefully cleanse myself of my crazy need to put up every thought and action on the web.

i will continue to check my email, and i will continue to blog as i see the need, but everything else, everything else i let go.

so here it goes...

What are you giving up for lent, and why?