Our pastor made sure to mention last night that Lent is not the time to give up a sin for 40 days. Complaining can be classified as sin. However, I still think it's a valid thing to "give up" for Lent. So, this is technically 40 days of focused repentance for complaining and grumbling.
Last year's sugar fast was the same thing. If I give something up for Lent, it's going to be something that prevents me from relating with God in a healthy way. I don't want to pick it back up. Even though I broke my sugar fast, when I abuse sugar, I am reminded of my motivations and try to give my dysfunction over to God. It doesn't happen every time, but the 40 day fast created an awareness of sin that brought me closer to God.
It is my hope that concentrating on not complaining or grumbling will create an awareness of how often I whine about my blessings...thereby giving God the middle finger and telling Him I don't want to deal with the life He's given me. I don't intend to "break" this fast...Lent is just concentrated space to deal with a specific issue in my life that is habitual and harmful.
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