Lent

I know not all Christians participate in Lent....or at least the giving up of something for 40 days....not including Sundays. Our family does actively practice Lent, and this year we really sat down and discussed what we were sacrificing/giving up for Lent. I told the girls that it had to be something that they would use, eat or do often; so that every time they thought about it....they would think of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. After some discussion, this is what the women of the house decided to give up........ By the way, the picture below is of Addi on Ash Wednesday. Mom, Me, Lorie, Mama, Queen......I gave up coca cola....well sort of, I allow myself one coke per week. I usually drink one coke per day, sometimes more, but nowhere near 30 diet cokes per day like some people I know....ahem....whose initials are RB and who is my dear friend and who I know reads my blog!
Addi, Addi Jo, Addison, Princess.......She gave up watching TV, unless it was family movie or something we were all watching together, and she did the Food Stamp Diet (eating on $3/day) for one week with NPayne. They just finished yesterday, thank goodness, because I was as hungry as they were.
Drew, Drewby, Drew Michelle, Princess........She gave up candy, all candy; so when her piano teacher gives her a piece of candy each week for doing a great job....she hands it to me when she gets in the car. She won't even eat a chocolate chip cookie, since she considers chocolate chips to be candy.
Bryna, Bryna Mae, B, B-Nut, Princess........After a little thought, she decided to give up donuts....then after a little discussion where I told her she couldn't give up donuts, since she rarely eats donuts; she decided to give up chocolate milk. That was a much better choice, since she drinks at least one glass of chocolate milk per day.
Elli, Elli-oooo, Elliot, Princess........She is only 2, so she is not giving up anything this year.

As for the men in the Payne house....
Cal, Callahan, Cal Leigh, Prince.....Cal doesn't participate, because he doesn't really understand the concept of Lent. Having autism makes it difficult for him to understand things that are not tangible.....sacrifice, etc.
NPayne, Daddy, Hunka Hunka Burnin Love, Sugar.......He participated wholeheartedly in the Food Stamp Diet for a week, and I think he is going to stick with no cokes for the remainder of the Lenten season.

Did you give up anything for Lent? I will say that every day I wish I was drinking a coke with my lunch, and every time I drive by Sonic I wish I was pulling in to Happy Hour to get a Route 44; and it seems like I think about having a coke much more because I know I can't have one. That's the point of Lent, it's suppose to be hard for you to give up; so that you think about it often which in turn means you think about the sacrifice Jesus made for us often. Honestly I feel embarassed when I think to myself.....I really would like to have a coke.....and then think of the sacrifice that was made for me..... sacrificing a coke can't be compared to the sacrifice that Jesus made for me especially when I think about all of the starving people all over the world as well as those who would just like some clean water to drink. It really makes me feel completely ridiculous to think about how much I want that coke, but it also makes me that much more determined to stick with it and to keep Jesus close.
I decided to give up something that I knew I would want many times per day, so I would think of Jesus many times per day which is why I chose coca cola; and I'll admit I've been thinking about Jesus a lot. Each time I do, I say a prayer of thanksgiving and praise! When I go back and re-read this post, I almost deleted it; because what we have "sacrificed" is so very trivial to the sacrifice that Jesus made for us....it's so very trivial compared to what people all over the world do without every single day....it's so very trivial to those who aren't allowed the luxury of TV, candy, cokes, chocolate milk....it's so very trivial to those who eat on less than $3/day every single day of the year. But I decided not to delete it, because although our sacrifices are trivial in comparison (if they can be compared at all); I think my family is getting the point of making the "sacrifice" (and I use that term very loosely) which is to think about Jesus, thank Him, and keep Him close.