Lent: Coffee, Chocolate, and the (other) F-word

Well, it's Lent, that season of the year when so many Christians around the world and across denominations choose to set aside some part of their regular lives in order to make room to experience Christ in a new way. We take forty days to ponder again the sacrifice of Jesus and seek to share in some small way the journey he makes to the cross. We move forward in self-denial with the expectation of receiving something better - of something new being born in us - as we move through the dark days of Lent and into the resurrection themes of Easter Sunday. What is decaying, dying, or dead  in me that can be remade and reborn through renewed commitment to Jesus?

Each year I consider the obvious candidates to cut out of my life for forty days: chocolate, coffee, and Facebook. Each one seems unthinkable - an invitation to failure and spiritual guilt. This year it seemed clear that Facebook was the thing that should go. In my half-sleep on the morning of Ash Wednesday, I struggled for the better part of an hour with the question of "Can I do this?"  When I lived in the country, Facebook was a lifeline for me during a time of intense loneliness and isolation, but my new life in the city has helped to satisfy that deep need for meaningful interaction through a multitude of ways.

Three things gave me the push I needed to commit:

1. I am now attending a liturgical Baptist church, and I want to experience this aspect of the liturgical year in a deeper way with my community. 
2. My fear of giving up what is essentially a product of a multibillion dollar corporation highlighted just how much I really need to distance myself from this time-hungry habit and reassess my use of my time.
3. I took an honest look at all the potential benefits of my redirected time, and found it hard to justify not giving it up for a season.

So, in light of these things I have done the unthinkable and signed out of Facebook for Lent. In its absence, here are some of the better things which I hope to make room for over the next six weeks:

• being with Jesus
• playing with and really engaging my children
• reading my Bible
• reading good writing (books, blogs, articles)
• interacting more meaningfully with my friends (Facebook or otherwise) through visits, phone calls, emails, Skype, and so on
• engaging more meaningfully through blogging, writing, studying
• going to bed earlier

It seems a pretty good trade; I'm excited to see (guilt-free, of course) where it will lead and what God will grow in me through the journey. I'll post tidbits along the way as inspiration strikes. 

And now a question for you: How are you making room for Jesus during your Lenten journey toward Easter Sunday? What have you given up so that you can receive something better?

Lastly, if you're looking for a few ideas on how to be more thoughtful during the season of Lent, Rachel Held Evans has compiled a list of 40 ideas for Lent on her blog. It's worth a look!

~Becky