A few years ago, a good friend of mine told me that she was giving up chocolate for Lent. I was surprised. Kelli wasn't Catholic and I had always thought that participating in Lent was just something that Catholics did. She told me that she had decidced to specifically give something important up (chocolate) for 40 Days (from Ash Wednesday to Easter) in order to focus more on Christ and his sacrifice for us on the cross.
I thought it was a great idea. Even though the Bible doesn't mention it and Lent is an invention of the Roman Catholic church, I, personally, still think it can be a good thing (when not taken to a legalistic extreme). Yes, as Christians, we are supposed to sacrifice all 365 days of the year for Christ. And, yes, we are to daily deny ourselves of things for him. But in this land of spoiled and home of the glutton that we call America, it's sometimes hard for me to really feel like I'm giving anything up.
Since that conversation with Kelli and her chocolate, I have given something up each year for Lent. Honestly, it's mostly been chocolate related because that is something that I LOVE. This year, though, I read a friend's post that she was giving up FB for Lent. I liked it and decided to do it.
So during my 40 days without Facebook, what did I accomplish? Well, I memorized the whole book of Matthew, climbed Mt. Rainier, taught the boys 40 Bible verses, and...just kidding. Of course, I didn't do any of those things. I'm still doing good just to get my quiet time in the Bible done most mornings. I found that time I usually spent on FB, I just filled with other distractions (hello, Pinterest). BUT, every time that I thought about FB, missed FB, or was tempted to just peak at FB, I remembered why.
I remembered that coming up was the "Superbowl" of all days for Christians, as my friend Jennifer puts it. This day, Easter, is the most important of all days of the year for us. It is the reason we live. The reason we read the Bible. The reason we set ourselves apart from the world. The reason we move across the country and leave our wonderfully comfortable lives behind.
He took my punishment. He defeated death. He is risen. And 40 days without Facebook is just a minuscule way for me to thank him.
