Sacrifices

Today is the day that most Catholics vow to give something up.

No ice cream, no swearing, no pop, no girls scout cookies, no popcorn...the list goes on and on.

I have done it all in my day. In high school, I am almost completely kicked my obsession with Mountain Dew because of my Lenten sacrifice. And then of course, Easter came and went and I started right back up.

However, while it is fun to make public pledges to the world of what your giving up for Lent, I have decided that this Ash Wednesday I am not giving anything up. I am not giving up my weekly pop or sacrificing coffee. I am not going to stop bonding over a bag of popcorn with my little brother and I don't plan on wasting time trying to stop my every so often swear words.

Now, don't get me wrong, I strongly believe we should all make changes and be willing to make sacrifices during Lent. Jesus bore our sin and willingly sacrificed everything for us and it is the least we can do, but I have decided that instead of NOT doing something, I am going to DO something.

And while I admitted in this post that I am much better at achieving goals when the world is there to hold me accountable, this is one goal that will remain between me and the man upstairs. Hopefully, he will be one person I won't want to let down.

I hope you think carefully about what you are willing to sacrifice this Lenten season. Do something extra for the next 40 days or chose to cut something unhealthy from your life, but whatever it is, do it well. And yes, I know only Catholics give things up, but regardless of your religion, Lent is a great reason to reconnect with your faith.

Happy Ash Wednesday.