Ash Wednesday

 

 

I look forward to the ‘pruning’ we do during Lent.  Working on improving ourselves by focusing on Christ and cutting out those materialistic things or practices to which we are attached. 

A friend asked me (yesterday on facebook) to consider whether I was a GUS or a TOM.  Needed to look in her comments to figure out what that meant!  It means Give Up Something or Take On More.  There’s a little of both in my, and my family’s, Lenten practice. 

However, this is one of those years in which I’ve had a hard time deciding what to do during Lent.  Oh, it’s not that I don’t have anything to offer.  The problem is that the things I generally give up really aren’t that much of a sacrifice … imho.  For me, it’s easier to find something more meaningful in the Take On More category.  And, it’s not that there aren’t meaningful things I could give up, I just don’t find giving up ‘things’ to be that hard. 

Now, if we talk actions … that’s a different story.  Can I easily give up over-reacting to wrongs, yelling when I’m more than angry, and covering my ears when the volume in my house exceeds what can be handled??  Not quite so easy, which makes me reluctant to try.  I do try, though, to do better every day.  That’s part of my morning offering – each day.  Offering any of these up during Lent would make me work harder though, I think.  But, I feel in my heart that I’d be less successful. 

Does that make the more challenging offering or sacrifice more of a gift than something I can do more easily??  The answer might seem easy, but it’s not.

…walking the Lenten path in prayer, fasting & almsgiving.