Lenten Pitfalls

As a Baptist, I am new to Lent. It was tempting at first to allow a Lenten discipline to be an excuse to lose some weight or achieve some other goal. This is obviously a common mistake, because Spaghettipie has fallen into the same trap. I like her post on Lent because it is honest. She notes her past failures in making it through the 40 days. Clearly those Lents have prepared her for this year. She is a little older and a little wiser.

I struggle with not turning Lent into a time to start new, good habits or breaking old negative ones. Or about sacrificing things I like to do. Or about losing weight. Because when I take a hard look at all of those things, they’re about me. Not about him and his sacrifice. I’ve only recently tried to observe Lent, and I’ve never made it through the 40 days without forgetting (or ignoring) my commitment. So this year, I’ve spent a lot of time praying about Lent and what to do. I felt like God was asking me to participate; I just didn’t know how. I didn’t want this year to be like last year . . . and the one before....READ MORE.