Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Decisions.....Decisions

So, last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday... which means we are almost a full week into Lent.

As card-carrying members of the Baptist church, we don't traditionally participate in Lent, but I sure do like the idea of removing something of importance to me for 40 days to move my focus back to Christ and prepare my heart for the sacrifice and celebration of Easter.

Can I be honest and say that I STILL haven't figured out what I'm giving up or adding in for Lent?

'Tis true, tis true.

Don't judge.

My first thought was to de-activate my Facebook account, but then I thought, "What if I accidentally cancel it all together and then I have to go through the torture of asking all those people to be my friend again?"

No thank you. I don't want a do-over in Junior High 101.

Perhaps reading Beth Moore's new book So Long Insecurity might help with that. Costco, Barnes and Noble or Lifeway can hook you up. And it's totally ok to take off the book jacket or maybe put the book in your cart with the title facing down if you don't want people to know you are reading a book about insecurity. I'm just sayin'....

And then I thought about giving up sugar. But you know, that is not a pure-hearted choice because I have ulterior motives of changing the way my clothes fit, not changing my heart and my focus.

I don't like chocolate or soft drinks enough to give them up and I've been so sporadic at blogging that I don't think it would be much of a sacrifice to stop that for 40 days.

So, I'm going a different direction this year. I'm adding things into my day instead of removing them. My good friend, Michele, planted that radical idea in my head last year. She's great like that.

Two primary needs for me to be the Wifey and Mom ALL my boys deserve are my time with God and my time working out.

One changes my heart and my attitude and hear me clearly, I DON'T LIKE WORKING OUT...but it sure makes the Fruit of the Spirit a bit easier to accomplish. Can I hear an Amen?

So, before I can jump on my computer for any reason other than work-related stuff, I need to have those 2 things taken care of for the day.

I know it seems small, but for me, it comes from my desire to be the gal God truly wants me to be.....and honestly already thinks I am.

Now that I've outed myself, I'll be starting my 40 days tomorrow. Thanks for the accountability!

In other news, we had snow flurries today for a total of 28 minutes. My sweet children have GOT to see real snow in the near future. At the mere sight of white condensation, they were asking for snow hats and pictures to be taken. Bless them.

I obliged and this is all we got.

Please ignore the sweatshirt. He bought it with his own Christmas money.

For the love.

Oh, and one last thing. If you didn't give up desserts for Lent, you have got to try Bakerella's Peach Crumb Cake. My friend, Becky, brought that sweetness to Dinner Club and I thought we were all going to make a vow to wear elastic pants to have another serving.

Have a great week!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Laurie,
I was a card carrying Baptist as was my 'son of a Baptist preacher man' husband. We bounced around from church to church until we visited Christ Church. It is an anglican church. (The inlaws visited and gave it a thumbs up so my parents are not concerned...)
Anyway! Our church actively participates in Lent and I had no idea what to give up. I gave up FB last year, but just didn't want to do that again, not that it was so hard but so many people checking in on baby (extended family that I TRULY dont want to have to talk to on the phone everyday!) Then I thought about fast food...but what I was really doing was trying to break the terrible Taco Bell habit I had during pregnancy. Is this about losing weight or gaining time with Christ...? Then we had another scare with Baby Bennett and I lost focus. Now I am back, trying to figure out what I should give up. I am glad I read your blog today as it has refocused me. March 1 is a great day to start, thanks for the encouragement.
Love
Ty
BTW, is there a story about your oldest babe lovin' on t.u.?? How is Trey taking that one? :)

Becky Kiser said...

that's such a great idea!!