Spiritually Hungry

Givin' up stuff, it's a hard thing to do especially when you don't want to give it up.



We went out to eat for Valentines with the kids last night. We just couldn't go it alone on this special day and make their valentines day dull. After all, Valentines is all about 'love' regardless if its' your mate or your kids. That's how I see this day of celebration and it was the love that made those kids. There are other days we can go it alone, but I wanted to make my kids feel special.



We walked into the restaurant and we were given many mardi gras beads to wear during dinner and to take home once finished. Their beads were unusual. The beads were not the usual color of green, gold and purple. They were fire engine red made of hearts but all the glam and glitz was just the same.



Those beads got us all thinking about Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday and the Lenten Season and the "givin' up" part of this time of year. I actually probably drew more thought about it because I'm still thinking about it as I write.



Fat Tuesday: We feast this day because during the next 40 days during of Lent we Fast. We meditate about our blessings.



Ash Wednesday: On this day a cross is traced on our forehead with ashes and we hear the words, "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel". It is an external sign or reminder of the time ahead that we are preparing.


Lent: It is a time to renew our efforts to live out the Gospel by loving one another.


My son loves ice cream. He has my genes. We were thinking the same thing as we glanced at each other across the dinner table.


Every year it gets harder, not easier, because we remember the pain of the wanting and the desire of the ice cream and denying ourselves something that we could do without. We were both thinking about the ice cream that will be missing our bellies.


So, tomorrow, Fat Tuesday we eat everything that we are going to give up for the next 40 days. My son said he was going to have ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He was going to eat it all day long. I think I will join him.


We think about what we want to give up and what we can do to better live out the gospel. We celebrate forgiveness and confess our sins in these 40 days of renewal.


We will clean out the tub of ice cream, lick our bowl clean and instead of our tummies becoming hungry for ice cream we become spiritually hungry for God's word.


We examine our conscience.
We reflect.
We forgive.
We remember what was given up for us so we can 'have' today.
We contemplate and say "Lord what did I do today that was not pleasing to you so that we can have peace in our hearts?"


"If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8: 31-32


Ice cream anyone?