rebelbase Woodley

Every year during Lent I decide to deny myself one of my favorite things in this world… sugar.  My usual diet consists of four things: protein, fat, carbohydrates and refined sugar (not in that order).  Cutting out one of these entirely is no easy task.  This is in fact my Atkins diet.  The idea behind giving things up during the 40 days of Lent is to prepare us for the Holy Week and the death and resurrection of Jesus.  It has worked for me in this way: each time I reach for a Dr. Pepper I am reminded that I am making a sacrifice in preparation of the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection which, in turn reminds me of the ultimate sacrifice that was made for me on the cross and my response is to thank God for His grace.  

I have found that this works for me until right around day 30.  At that point my sugar-free lifestyle turns from focusing me on Jesus’ life, death and resurrection to focusing on the fact that I can’t eat jelly beans anytime I want.  Then the countdown begins.  My fasting from sugar takes center stage as I look forward to the resurrection of my normal diet not the resurrection of Christ.  A similar thing happens during periods of fasting.  As the end approaches it is easy to turn your attention to the buffet awaiting you.  Suddenly, something that started so well and served a great purpose becomes a stumbling block for intimacy with God. 

With this in mind last week I read Mark 7:8-9 “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men. You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!”  Let me say this; I am a big fan of tradition.  My opinion is that tradition is a very good thing but there is an exception when it gets in the way of loving God.  For that reason I decided to give up giving up sugar for the last week of Lent.  I want my Holy Week to focus on what is Holy not on what is covered in a thin candy shell.