4 Things to Abstain From During Lent

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It is common practice for a person to give up something they enjoy during Lent. Some of the most common things to give up for Lent are chocolate and sweets. The popularity of these minor sacrifices, however, does not mean that they are the most meaningful things to give up for Lent.

Lent is the period of time between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Officially, Lent lasts 40 days, but it rarely lasts exactly 40 days. Lent usually lasts a little over 40 days, and some years it may run up to 46 days. This period of time represents the 40 days that Jesus Christ spent in the desert. Just like how the length of Lent varies from year to year, Jesus is unlikely to have spent exactly 40 days in the desert. In fact, the number 40 in biblical times was often used to mean “many” rather than the actual number. So “40 days” or “40 years” actually means “many days” or “many years.”

Regardless of how long Lent lasts, precisely, Catholics and members of various Christian denominations everywhere chose something they enjoy to give up during Lent. The purpose of this sacrifice is both to echo the time that Christ spent in the desert and to remove distractions that keep people from focusing on God. Lent is a time for a person to acknowledge the shortcomings in their faith and to draw closer to Jesus. When you think about Lent that way, chocolate seems like a strange thing to give up for Lent. A bite of chocolate doesn’t seem like it would distract a person from God. With that in mind, here are four things to abstain from during Lent.

TV and Social Media

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Most people come home from work and immediately flop on the couch to watch TV or pull up their social media feeds on their phones. Using this as method of relaxation is just fine, but how often does watching TV or scrolling through Facebook really relax you? How often do you see something on the news that makes you angry? How often do you see a post on Facebook and sneer at the ignorance of the person that posted it? How often do you see a person’s picture on Instagram and feel a hot surge of jealousy that they went to that party while you had to work late? Social media and TV are prone to causing anger and envy in those that use them regularly. People get distracted from the blessings in their lives because all they see are the carefully edited lives of their friends on Facebook. This Lent, stop letting those blue screens hurt your heart. Give up social media or TV for 40 days and see how much happier and closer to God you become by Easter.

Gossip and Angry Words

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There are few people who can honestly say that they never gossip at all. It’s hard not to want to be in the loop or join your friends in giggling about how the new guy put his foot in his mouth in front of the boss at the Christmas party. What most people don’t think about, though, is that gossip is often spiteful and mean. Cruel gossip is not limited to spreading rumors. Just continuing to laugh at your new coworker’s misfortune with your friends is enough to hurt someone. Think about it. Would you like to have people constantly rehashing your mistakes?

Angry words find their way into people’s daily lives in a number of ways. Perhaps the most involuntary way people spew angry words, however, is when they are driving. Even if you don’t suffer from full blown road rage, you’ve probably said something nasty about the idiot who cut you off on the highway.

For Lent, set those spiteful and angry words aside. Spend 40 days speaking nothing but kind and truthful words, and see how your life improves.

Things You Don’t Need

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Lent is a time of sacrifice, so why would you continue to add unnecessary things to your life? It doesn’t make sense, but people routinely continue shopping for fun during Lent. They give up chocolate or soda, but they continue to buy a pair of new shoes, a nice tie or some cute earrings for no other reason than they wanted those things. This year, embody the spirit of Lent and give up anything you don’t need. Buy only necessities like food, and refrain from replacing things that still work. Yes, that new phone is shiny and exciting, but if your old phone still works perfectly well, don’t buy the new phone. Enjoy what you have instead.

Give up using resources you don’t need as well. Turn on only the light you need to see instead of lighting up your home like the mothership is coming in for landing. Shorten your showers so you aren’t using extra water. Embody the spirit of sacrifice by using only what you need.

Complaining

Lent is a time of sacrifice, but it is also a time to draw closer to Jesus. What better way to do that than to be grateful for what He has already given you? Take time to notice the good things in your life, and stop complaining about the little things that are wrong. Be grateful that you have a job instead of complaining that you have to get up early on Monday morning. Express your gratitude for a warm coat and scarf instead of spending all morning whining about the weather. Take 40 days to shift your focus away from what is wrong in life. Instead, make it a point to find all the good things that fill your days. Hot food, a soft bed and a healthy child are all incredible blessings. Use Lent to learn how to appreciate those every day gifts instead of thinking about what you don’t have.