Today was the beginning of Lent, something I never really grew up knowing too much about since the church I grew up in never really recognized it, at least not that I ever noticed. All I really knew about it , was that people would give something up that they liked during this time and that it ended on Easter. I used to think that Lent was just another one of those acts that other denominations believed you had to do to be a Christian, a human rule and therefore something foolish. It wasn't until this year that, that view has changed. I still don't know too much about it therefore do not believe I am qualified to talk about it, but I now view it as a form of worship.
Some resources about Lent:
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0527.html
http://www.crivoice.org/cylent.html
http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/learn/advocacy-newsletter-201103-resource-alert-lent
A friend of mine had posted that they had signed up for this Relentless Act:s of Sacrifice challenge formed by World Vision Activism Network ACT:S http://www.worldvisionacts.org/, so being the curious person that I am I decided to check it out. Well it not only intrigued me, but inspired me and got me thinking about Lent in a very different way.
They talked about the meaning of sacrifice and are going to be sacrificing a different part of their lives each week and challenged the rest of us to join and do the same. Although they never gave the specific challenges I decided to do it anyway. I started viewing this time ahead (40 days) as a time of sacrificing a part of myself for another, just as God has done for us. I started thinking about what sacrifice means and came to the conclusion that it means giving up a part of yourself (your comfort, safety, desires, needs, etc) or all of yourself to lift up and love another. Sacrificing isn't easy and it hurts, but in sacrificing we gain so much more than we could ever lose.
After defining what sacrificing meant I thought about what it was that I would sacrifice for the next 40 days. What kind of action could I take that would lift up and love another, while I experienced a sense of loss? A few ideas went through my head, which I would still like to do at some point in my life, but I decided on two that I would specifically focus on for these next 40 days.
1.) As a child with not the greatest looks or so I believed, I was often picked on and developed a deep insecurity about my physical appearance. As an adult I didn't think that insecurity was that strong anymore, but that's because I have become really good at masking it.
Makeup. That is the best one. This tool can cover any blemish, uneven skin tone, make your eyelashes longer and darker, add some color to your face, make your eye color pop, and make your eyes more defined and give your face a glow. Yes, it works wonders for a girl like me.
Jewelry. I have an obsession with earrings and the funkier they are the better. They make any outfit look 10 times better and draws the attention away from just my face.
Hair products/tools. Also wonder workers. These things keep your hair in place just the way it should, they can make it super straight or even hold those beautiful curls or waves. Yes, these are great.
Contacts. These definitely take out the nerd in me, at least appearance wise. You see glasses have never been able to sit on my face right. They always sit crooked on my face not mentioning the fact that you cannot see my small droopy eyes behind them.
I rarely ever go outside of my house without all of these things or at least most of these things on. They have become such a part of me that I didn't even realize that they were hurting me. I also realized that these things are so unnecessary when there are millions of people in this world who are dying from hunger, disease and dehydration daily. While I am spending money on things to make myself look better for no apparent reason than to keep up with this social image of beauty, others are dying because their needs are not being met. So, for the next 40 days I have decided to give up all of these physical appearance altering materials and tools and give the money that it would cost for all of this to those who really need it. At the same time I realized that since I wouldn't need all of the extra time to get ready in the morning I would have more time to spend with the One who made me and in doing so get rid of my hurtful insecurities.
2.) Since I couldn't decide on what I should sacrifice during Lent I asked my brother which one he thought I should do. His answer: Both : ). So along with sacrificing everything that alters my physical appearance I have decided to also give up the comfort of my bed and sleep on the floor with only a thin blanket. My bed has always been a source of comfort to me except for maybe as a child when my mom would make me sleep in it. As I grew up though and started working and going to school and keeping up with a social life my bed became my only form of relaxation and therefore a comfort. As a full time teacher now it is the one thing I look forward to at the end of the day and one of the things I did not want to give up. Again though there are so many people in this world that do not have the comfort of a bed or let alone the comfort and safety of a home. I cringed at the idea of not having a bed for 40 days, the possibility of getting no sleep, because of discomfort and then aching the next morning because of no support for my body. No, not this one. Sacrifice: giving up a part of yourself (your comfort, safety, desires, needs, etc) or all of yourself to lift up and love another. To be able to understand another persons suffering I needed to do this even if it is on a much smaller scale. I am giving up the comfort of my bed for 40 days to feel the discomfort of another and giving what it would cost for a bed to habitat for humanity so someone else somewhere may find the comfort of a home.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2
Some resources about Lent:
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0527.html
http://www.crivoice.org/cylent.html
http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/learn/advocacy-newsletter-201103-resource-alert-lent
A friend of mine had posted that they had signed up for this Relentless Act:s of Sacrifice challenge formed by World Vision Activism Network ACT:S http://www.worldvisionacts.org/, so being the curious person that I am I decided to check it out. Well it not only intrigued me, but inspired me and got me thinking about Lent in a very different way.
They talked about the meaning of sacrifice and are going to be sacrificing a different part of their lives each week and challenged the rest of us to join and do the same. Although they never gave the specific challenges I decided to do it anyway. I started viewing this time ahead (40 days) as a time of sacrificing a part of myself for another, just as God has done for us. I started thinking about what sacrifice means and came to the conclusion that it means giving up a part of yourself (your comfort, safety, desires, needs, etc) or all of yourself to lift up and love another. Sacrificing isn't easy and it hurts, but in sacrificing we gain so much more than we could ever lose.
After defining what sacrificing meant I thought about what it was that I would sacrifice for the next 40 days. What kind of action could I take that would lift up and love another, while I experienced a sense of loss? A few ideas went through my head, which I would still like to do at some point in my life, but I decided on two that I would specifically focus on for these next 40 days.
1.) As a child with not the greatest looks or so I believed, I was often picked on and developed a deep insecurity about my physical appearance. As an adult I didn't think that insecurity was that strong anymore, but that's because I have become really good at masking it.
Makeup. That is the best one. This tool can cover any blemish, uneven skin tone, make your eyelashes longer and darker, add some color to your face, make your eye color pop, and make your eyes more defined and give your face a glow. Yes, it works wonders for a girl like me.
Jewelry. I have an obsession with earrings and the funkier they are the better. They make any outfit look 10 times better and draws the attention away from just my face.
Hair products/tools. Also wonder workers. These things keep your hair in place just the way it should, they can make it super straight or even hold those beautiful curls or waves. Yes, these are great.
Contacts. These definitely take out the nerd in me, at least appearance wise. You see glasses have never been able to sit on my face right. They always sit crooked on my face not mentioning the fact that you cannot see my small droopy eyes behind them. I rarely ever go outside of my house without all of these things or at least most of these things on. They have become such a part of me that I didn't even realize that they were hurting me. I also realized that these things are so unnecessary when there are millions of people in this world who are dying from hunger, disease and dehydration daily. While I am spending money on things to make myself look better for no apparent reason than to keep up with this social image of beauty, others are dying because their needs are not being met. So, for the next 40 days I have decided to give up all of these physical appearance altering materials and tools and give the money that it would cost for all of this to those who really need it. At the same time I realized that since I wouldn't need all of the extra time to get ready in the morning I would have more time to spend with the One who made me and in doing so get rid of my hurtful insecurities.
2.) Since I couldn't decide on what I should sacrifice during Lent I asked my brother which one he thought I should do. His answer: Both : ). So along with sacrificing everything that alters my physical appearance I have decided to also give up the comfort of my bed and sleep on the floor with only a thin blanket. My bed has always been a source of comfort to me except for maybe as a child when my mom would make me sleep in it. As I grew up though and started working and going to school and keeping up with a social life my bed became my only form of relaxation and therefore a comfort. As a full time teacher now it is the one thing I look forward to at the end of the day and one of the things I did not want to give up. Again though there are so many people in this world that do not have the comfort of a bed or let alone the comfort and safety of a home. I cringed at the idea of not having a bed for 40 days, the possibility of getting no sleep, because of discomfort and then aching the next morning because of no support for my body. No, not this one. Sacrifice: giving up a part of yourself (your comfort, safety, desires, needs, etc) or all of yourself to lift up and love another. To be able to understand another persons suffering I needed to do this even if it is on a much smaller scale. I am giving up the comfort of my bed for 40 days to feel the discomfort of another and giving what it would cost for a bed to habitat for humanity so someone else somewhere may find the comfort of a home. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2
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