Hahahahahahahaha..... good one Marcia! That made for a good belly laugh. How SILLY was I?? I mean, I actually thought I could do a better job at planning my life than God could. Sigh. Man, I'm glad that didn't last long because I thoroughly screwed everything up during that phase of my life. Thankfully, I discovered God's grace and mercy and slowly made my way back into a relationship with Him.
Lent? They didn't observe Lent in the Baptist or Church of Christ churches that I had attended in the past, so I was clueless until a few years ago. I started noticing a few people talking about it in certain situations and it sounded like some form of punishment at first.
"You're giving up COFFEE?!! WHY?!?!", I would gasp. "Lent", was the answer.
"You're giving up SUGAR?!?! WHY ON EARTH?!?!" Again, "Lent" was given.
Lent just sounded like 40 days of torture to me. No thanks.
However.... I've been doing a bit more research on the observance of Lent, and I've decided to actually participate this year. Although I'm still learning about it, here is what I do know:
1. Lent is 40 days long... beginning on Ash Wednesday (March 5th) and ending on Holy Saturday (April 17th). During this time, observers practice fasting, moderation, and other spiritual disciplines. It was first practiced in the 4th century as a period of self-examination and self-denial to prepare for Easter.
2. The "rules" widely vary, depending on who you talk with. Some people have even decided to ADD something good into their daily lives during Lent, instead of giving something up.
3. TODAY is Ash Wednesday, so I better decide NOW how I'm going to observe "Lent" this year.
What about you guys? Do you observe Lent? ... and have you actually felt like it enhanced/deepened your relationship with God? Do tell.
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