Lent 2005: What a great way to begin...NOT

[Mave]

Today is the first day of Lent. I decided not to eat out (restaurants etc.) and to use the money I save to buy food for church donations. Go ahead and laugh but this social activity has always been the #1 way my money gets wasted every month and it’s a part of my life that is tough to give up (since it’s fun!). It seems like the perfect sacrifice except that I messed up on the first day.

In the morning, I was pressured to have brunch at Crackel Barrel with buddies. I ended up compromising, “Alright, I’ll just share an order with a friend.â€

[Ashley]

Awww, bless your heart Mave! Sounds like you really did have an awful day.

Well, first some words of comfort:
"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:23

Odd coming from Lamentations isn't it? But that's so like our God! To slip in words of comfort and peace in our darkest hours. Oh Mave, seems like we Christians have the whole world ready to pounce on us when we fall. Even our own brethren! And God takes our commitments to Him very seriously; so when we mess up I do believe He takes the time to chastise us out of love and remind us of our promises. But as the verse says, His mercy is new every morning! Let this be a chance for you to remember how gracious our Savior is and truly thank Him for allowing you to recieve such grace today, tomorrow, every day!

As far as your friends are concerned, to the non-Christian ones I would use this as an opportunity to say, "you're right, I did mess up. I'm not perfect because I'm a Christian, I still mess up. The difference is my God loves me and will always forgive me no matter what I do" (or something like that--God'll give you the words).

To your Christian friends, I would remind them we are to help one another and while that DOES mean conviction, it also means doing so in love and support. It means not putting a stumbling block (inviting you out when they know you're giving up restaraunts) in front of you, but encouraging you even when you mess up.

I hope this helps! Rest assured Mave, God doesn't love you any less. I think if you want to know the truth, He's glad that you take your dedication to Him so seriously and that you're willing to repent wholeheartedly. ^^

[SereneDolphin]

Umm, I don't know if I'm the right person to console you. . .

I'm not a strict Christian myself, and I believe that we all at times behave a little "un-Christian" when we feel down or that not everything's not all right. But you can't listen to everyone. In your heart of hearts, you know that you are a good Christian (at least, you're trying to be, right?), and that all you can do is be the best person you can be, as you see fit. No one knows you better than you do, and so they can't dictate what you are or aren't.

Anyway, about Lent. . .

I never observe Lent, I think it's physically and mentally impossible for me to do so. You need to pick another thing to lose if you are having difficulty, but perhaps that was the purpose. If that was, and you're already chosen not to eat out, then here's a suggestion. Try looking on the web for some fun and funky recipes that you've been wanting to try, or maybe some of your favorite dishes at restaurants. Then you can have taste-testing parties at your house, so nobody can claim you're being unsociable. Try to make it so that you don't want to eat out!

Unfortunately, that only works if you like to cook. If you're anything like me. . .well, let's say I don't volunteer to help in the kitchen.

[CDLviking]

You shouldn't feel bad about the Tet part. You aren't supposed to fast on feast days. Even the Catholic bishops have given an allowance for Tet this year.

You can always start again tomorrow. Even the Apostles fell asleep at Gethsemane. Pray that the Lord gives you the grace of conviction. When all of your friends go out, remember that Jesus spent his 40 days alone being tempted by Satan, you can unite your struggles to his.

[uc pseudonym]

I'm terribly sorry to hear that; I'm not sure if there's anything I can do to help. I did read your entire rant, but that isn't the same as really listening to a person.

There's no need at all to beat yourself up about not fasting perfectly. It happens, and it isn't a big deal. Remember: God isn't keeping a Lent scorecard and giving you black marks every time you go out to eat somewhere. The important thing is that you draw closer to Him in this time. Sometimes the times we are closest to Him are when we fail. As Christians we believe in a God that works through brokenness; He doesn't condemn it.

As for all the negativity and conflict with your friends, that's unfortunate and not so simple. With Christian friends you can probably simply tell them how upset you feel about this. With nonchristians, I think I would agree with Ashley: you can be honest. Unbelievers aren't interested in saints that walk on air, but on people like themselves trying to live better lives. And regardless of how you think you are doing at the moment, you are living better.

[Hitokiri]

Im sorry Mave If it's any comfort to you, yesterday in Spanish class, when asked my mom's age, I accidently put her into the mascular form

I don't follow Lent nor fasting for that matter. But I do appreciate the effort and the meaning of it.