Giving up or Getting?

We are one week into the Lenten Season so I thought I'd post about what I'm giving up for Lent.  In addition to the usual Lenten practices of Fasting and giving up meat on Fridays in addition to increased Prayer and Alms giving I've giving up spending money on nonconsumable/nonnecessary items.   Basically I've given up spending money on myself, the house or anything that is not an essential; like food or soap.  You get the picture.

One week into this and now I'm starting to relax my shoulders a bit and haven't been biting my nails so much.  Yes it was tough the first few days.

The realization that I will not buy myself or my children anything for forty days has been a real eye opener.  Especially since I've been haunted by a pair of cute sandals that I've been on the look out for and recently spotted at Macy's.  I happened to be on a quick errand and just decided to walk through Macy's and give the shoe department a "look-see".   Well there they were, I tried them on and yes Oh so comfy.  I left them there of course.  But back at home I had the urge to see if I could find them on line and I did- for $14 dollars less with no shipping!  Talk about needing willpower. I put them in my online shopping cart then got off the computer.  I even thought about purchasing them on Sunday- some people don't adhere to their Lenten promises on Sundays being that Sundays are Holy days and days of celebration.  So yes I thought- Hmmm... Maybe I could buy 'em on Sunday- that would be alright wouldn't it?  I also thought about having my husband by them for me.  Cuz then technically I wouldn't be buying them and he's not the one who gave up spending money for Lent.  So see I already had two ways out.

So this whole Sandal temptation got me thinking.  What if I tried to give up thinking about "stuff "too?  I felt like way too much of my energy was being wasted on thinking about how I could get those sandals.  Silly I know.  Those sandals will not make my life one bit better nor will they make me truly happier.  Maybe for a moment but not in the long run.  Their euphoric effect will only be temporary.  Then I'll be off to find something else to get me that feeling.

So basically as humans that's what we are really chasing- it's a feeling- not stuff.  We just think we need the stuff to get the feeling.  But that's a lie.  Hmmmm.....

So I think I learned a bit already by giving up "stuff" and we're only one week into Lent.  I can't imagine how much I'll learn after forty days.

See God is so good that He gives to us all the time.  We give up stuff but He gives us so much more.  The giving up of stuff only helps us to see that.  It helps us to ignore the voices of sandals calling out to us -cuz and if we ignore them long enough they fade into whispers in the distance and eventually are gone.  Then they are replaced with an even better voice.  A voice that tells us the Truth.  A voice that awakens us and makes us feel alive.  A voice that upon hearing it gives us the feeling that we were searching for all along.

So what are you giving up for Lent? or should I say getting?

With loving thoughts,

Elizabeth