Lint In My Pockets?

"And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

~Ephesians 5:2

"What are you doing for Lent?" I was asked on Ash Wednesday. 
"For what?" I replied.
"Lent," another girl responded.
I was completely confused. I had heard another girl early that morning mention Lent, but I paid no attention to it. I remember thinking along the lines of this after being asked the first question, "Lint? I don't know, I have never really had a problem with lint. I guess I just wash my clothes enough that it just comes out before it builds up." I usually have plenty of bobby pins in my pockets but no lint. I thought lint was one of the weirdest and most random subjects to bring up. Why were we even talking about it? Obviously they saw my weird and quite confused look, and proceeded to fill me in on the season of LENT. Which has nothing to do with your pockets! 

I am almost sixteen years old, and I have never in my life heard of Lent. One girl was telling me she was not going to eat sugar for Lent, another she was not going to get on Facebook. "What are you doing?" They asked me. "I don't know," I replied. At the time I was trying not to eat a lot of sugar anyway, so I told them I would probably just go off sugar completely. (FYI: I had sugar that afternoon. :) After the decision I made later that day.)

When I got home later that day I decided to do some research. What was Lent? Do all Christians do it? Is Lent mentioned in the Bible? These and many others were the questions I was asking google. After I had finished my research, I knew what Lent was for sure, but I was unsure whether it was something I should do. Would it strengthen my spiritual walk? What would it mean to me? 

After searching google I casually scrolled my Facebook home page and I saw a post that several ladies had reposted. "The Ash Wednesday Diet," it read. "Oh, no, not them too!" I remember thinking. These ladies were ones I hardly had expected to be influenced by this "Lent season diet thing." I wanted to see what they were committing to. No soda? No sugar? No meat? I clicked the post and began reading.

When I finished I knew what I was doing for Lent. Here is what I had read:


"Let me introduce you to The Ash Wednesday Diet.
Come on, keep reading. Because by the time you finish this diet, you’re going to shed enough emotional weight to prepare yourself to lead a healthy life, and enjoy many years of happiness. Compared to other diets on the market, which are only interested in helping you look a certain way, The Ash Wednesday Diet is really something special. I call it The Ash Wednesday Diet because it should be started on the first day of Lent. To me, Lent symbolizes mortality. But it is also a reminder of how I want my life to be – or better yet, how my life should be. For many, Lent is a season of repentance. It is a time to avoid temptation, just like Christ did for 40 days in the desert. So if you’re inclined to follow some simple instructions, get ready to embark upon the most exciting, emotional diet on the market. Let’s get started, shall we? There are 10 easy steps, and if you follow them carefully, you’ll see successful results. Oh and by the way, I forgot – you can throw away your scale for this one.

1. Focus on loving God and all his greatness, instead of celebrities, action figures, “real” housewives or even world leaders that think they know best.
2. Be careful of wolves in sheep’s clothing, like politicians, promising you something but taking your liberties away.
3. Set up standards of morality at home. Enough with the casual cursing. Teach kids some etiquette and manners, and use yourself as an example.
4. Spend time with your family, telling stories, and listening to those around you. Because someday you will wish you had.
5. Think of older folks – remember, that will be you some day. And loneliness can be debilitating.
6. Remember that violence begets violence. Young people are overwhelmed with graphic simulations of violence in video games and on the Internet. Cut it out of your life.
7. Be with the person you (choose), and respect your commitment.
8. In these times of economic hardship, make sure you do not take shortcuts. Honor is man’s greatest virtue. Think of how this country started – business deals were honored with a simple handshake, symbolizing good intentions.
9. Remember that lawsuits are not the only solution to our problems –  though sometimes it may seem that way, with children suing parents, parents suing schools and even the government suing its own people.
10. Finally, stop thinking about how other people see you – but rather, think about how you see yourself. Love yourself for who you are – not for what a commercial or a magazine cover tells you you should be.

So you see, if you follow these simple guidelines, this diet is going to be a hit for you. By the way, the original version of this diet came out thousands of years ago – in a great book that I strongly recommend. The author knew a thing or two about how to live a good life, in 10 easy steps. The book? The Bible. The recipe? The 10 Commandments." (Parenthesis mine) (Here is the link to the real article: The Ash Wednesday Diet) 

This post changed my opinion. It answered all the questions I had on Lent. I now have this posted on my bedroom wall as a reminder of what I have be committed to. As a reminder that God should be my focus during Lent, not eating or not eating something, or posting or not posting something. I am not saying these are bad things. I am not saying Lent is a bad thing, not at all. But this year, for me, this is the "diet" I have chosen.

The Ten Commandments:

1 And God spoke all these words:

2 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lordyour God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

~Exodus 20: 1-17