From Kindergarten up through 6th grade, I went to Catholic school. I went to a Catholic church as well obviously during that time, up to the point when my family converted to Baptist. During my Catholic days I always had to give up something for Lent every year, including stuff like chocolate or bubble gum. I can't say for sure, but I'd say it's a safe bet that more often than not I did not hold up with my sacrifices every year.
Once my family converted to Baptist, I was somewhat relieved that I wasn't expected to give up something for Lent every year anymore. I enjoyed chocolate, soda, and other unhealthy stuff way too much in order to go without it for 40 days. Sure, that's completely lazy of me, and honestly it's anything but the right attitude to have.
I didn't set foot in a Catholic church from the time I was 13 up until my cousin's wedding when I was 26. That huge gap led to me forgetting most of Catholicism's practices and motions during a service, though much of that came back to me when I finally did find myself in a Catholic church again. Since then, however, I haven't been in any Catholic service or church at all.
Lately though I've been thinking it'd be good for me - both on a health factor and a spiritual one - to get back in the habit of giving something up for Lent again. My girlfriend has been getting on me for a while about not drinking soda anymore since it's so high in sugar and other unhealthy stuff, so I decided that I'd give up soda for Lent. In the past I tried gradually moving away from regular soda to stuff like Coke Zero, though it never took too heavily. Maybe quitting cold turkey would be the best thing for me to do, and now I'm a week into going without it.
Before you think I'm talking about any of this to get a pat on the back or anything, I didn't give up caffeine completely. I knew I'd likely end up killing someone from not having any caffeine anymore, so I still have my morning coffee every day. On the other hand, I could end up like this woman.
So yeah, I'm hoping to get at least a little bit healthier by giving up soda. Hopefully I can quit it all together, though I think even reducing the amount of soda consumed by a drastic amount would be beneficial long term. I know my girlfriend is excited and proud of me so far for even making the decision in the first place, but this is only the first week. She may end up begging me to drink a soda or two by the time we get closer to Easter.
Getting back to the point about simply giving something up for Lent, I've come to believe that it isn't just something for Catholics to do. Any Christian could benefit from making a sacrifice for the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday as a symbol of his or her faith. I have a few friends who said they were giving up Facebook for Lent, but that's something that doesn't quite sit well with me. I always viewed Lent as a time for personal reflection and improvement, even though it's been 20 years since I've been a practicing Catholic. In most cases, giving up Facebook doesn't necessarily translate to not being able to communicate with friends or family at all. We've still got cell phones and email to keep in touch if we can't see each other in person, so what's the sacrifice? How exactly does one benefit from giving up something like Facebook?
I'm sure I'm being overly critical of anyone who decides to shut down their Facebook account for Lent. It could possibly mean a lot more to them than it does to me, so they could be giving up more than I give them credit for. Hey, they could just as easily look at me with an odd expression for saying I'm giving up soda.
We'll see how long I can keep going without soda. I once went a month without fast food and didn't think much about it until three weeks into it, so this strikes me as a very attainable goal. I'd like to keep this old habit of mine going for Lent in future years as well, so I'll have to come up with something just as good for next year.
I just know I could never go without red meat.
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