I am sure you are all wondering what I will be giving up this year. I made my decision by initially looking into my life and seeing what the primary way I am distracted away from God. Then I began praying if that was indeed what the Lord wanted me to give up or if He had something different for me. So this Lent season I will be giving up reading any books other than the Bible. That includes blogs. My confirmation of this came from Ecclesiastes 12:12 (on February 12, 2012 mind you).
Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.Then confirmation came again this week from the book Passionate Housewives Desperate for God. The author says,
Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.
Instead of looking to modern-day "experts" for answers, we need to return to the "old paths" of Scripture, where there is "rest for our souls" (Jeremiah 6:16).
While there is nothing inherently wrong about reading Christian books and blogs (Uh, hello?! I even write one at the Lord's discretion! :)) they can tend to set up expectations in my mind for myself. When I read a good idea I like to try to implement it. It may be a very good idea but when I am reading 30 blogs a week and 5 books besides the Bible it makes the body weary! My soul needs rest. I can not tell you how difficult this will be for me. However, the Lord has been very faithful and has honored my time of sacrifice each year and I have enjoyed the 'extra' time with Him as well.
I would like for you to pray about whether this is something the Lord would like for you to honor in your own life. Ash Wednesday is February 22, 2012. Easter is April 8th this year. IF the Lord confirms that this would be a beneficial practice for you than what is it that He would most like for you to abstain from? Don't make it harder than it needs to be but be genuine as well. I do NOT recommend abstaining from all food for 40 days. If you rarely eat cheese the Lord is probably not calling you to quit eating cheese for Lent. Fasting does not have to be limited to food either. Maybe your weary soul needs a rest from Facebook for 40 days? TV? Whatever it is I hope that you will experience a great time of refreshment this Lent season as you seek the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul.
2 comments:
I thought about what you said here in this post all night last night. It really spoke to me, and I'm pretty sure God would like me to give up something to do with my "online world". Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Jessica for letting me know! As you well know, it is so encouraging as a blogger to hear how God is using your blog to touch other even in little bitty ways. I am sure that whatever you give up the Lord will bless!
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