Is anyone giving up something for Lent???

I'm gonna give up all sugar

The only stuff i can have per day is 3-5 pieces of fruit and a teaspoon of honey in my porridge! Apart from that i'm sugar free... hopefully it won't effect me in a bad way :{

What is everyone else gonna give up??

I have a hard time observing Lent because it coincides with tax season, when I'm really busy.  IMO the fasting is just a superficial thing if I can't pay more attention to the spiritual discipline.  But maybe this year I can just try to be more mindful.

Thanks for reminding me.   I'll give the topic some consideration and post more in a couple of days or so.

I see you live in London--when I was there last, I stayed close to St. James' near Queensway, but didn't get a chance to attend.

 

Many years ago it was suggested that we "do" something for Lent instead of "giving up" something. Since you already are mostly sugar free why not take the focus off food and commit to 5 min. of prayer daily, or visit a lonely friend, neighbor, relative; volunteer somewhere... I'm sure you get the idea. Sacrifice can be more active than denying yourself a favorite food.

I agree and it was well said.  Visiting nursing home is always a good thing to do.  It's good for you and for those that are so lonely.  We gave up things as a child but now I think doing things for others is what it's really all about. 

I'm giving up beer.  I figuered it would help my health and diet.  but it's not lent yet, and I'm drinking one now....

Yum, I love beer.

For lent I will give up my laziness. Now that's a sacrifice! I will exercise 6 times a week for lent. 

I'm thinking about spending no money on myself & giving what I saved to charity. I can still have "essential items" but no frills.

For example:
I can buy basic food at a store to cook- but no eating out
I can buy gas to get to & from work, visiting family, and errands
No movies, clothes, cokes, dessert, alcohol, make-up, hair cuts, etc

I don't know about this though. It would be REALLY hard. A friend of mine told me she did it last year.

What do you think? I don't know if I am strong enough. Does anyone else think they could do it?

hm. when does lent begin this year?

i will...do community service at least once per week during lent
but for me, it is important to give up a favorite food that i take for granted.
so, for lent, i will also give up granola bars.

i might give up bread.... i dunno yet though, i might think of something better.

Thought about giving up diet coke, but then realized I would never last through my 8am lecture hall without a huge amount of caffeine. lol.

Last year I tried giving up bananas for Lent. For the first 48 hours all I could think about were bananas, and so I caved and ate 5. No way am I attempting to give up any kind of food this year. The restriction causes unnecessary insanity. Also, I don't normally eat much bread but during Lent I'm addicted to Hot Cross buns so I eat more bread during Lent than any other time.

I think it's great to give up something for lent, but the point of lent isn't to help with your diet.

Kudos to those who are thinking of others.

I'm giving up putting myself down and belittling myself. God does not make mistakes. God makes miracles. As the Baltimore Catechism teaches, God made me. Therefore, I must be a miracle!

I don't think Lent has to be an either/or thing-- either give something, or else add some act of piety or service.  Anything that is physically challenging-- dieting, exercising, etc.-- can serve as a really helpful reminder of what Christ suffered for us. 

Combining that effort with something else-- prayer, visits to the lonely, etc-- can help "keep it honest."  By that I mean, the extra time of prayer or acts of charity can help the diet or exercise retain its supernatural component, and not simply become a weight-loss or health regimen.

I'm shooting for both this year.  I do need to diet-- for health reasons AND because my eating become spiritually unhealthy for me-- it's become a real source of comfort-seeking for me.  And I already try (but don't always manage) to pray regularly each day, so that's the other half of Lent for me this year, to consistently get that time in each day. 

I think (hope?) these two areas will be mutually supportive...

And, yes, this is my first post- nothing like just barging in, eh? 

 

I'm giving up meat for Lent.  I'll be donating the meat items in my pantry and freezer to help someone less fortunate.

I'm also going to try to set aside time to read the Bible everyday and to watch less TV.

Although I'm not at all religous, I'm giving up chocolate for lent

Original Post by brown_paper_bag:

Although I'm not at all religous, I'm giving up chocolate for lent

Wow.  I mean absolutely no disrespect by this question, but-- why???

Gum, Peanut Butter, and Pretzels! I'm excited, these foods help contribute to my being pudggy! I hope to lose weight this Lenten season, as well as become spiritually closer to God!

I'm Giving up all my extra weight... anyone want it !!!!

hahahahah

i'm still not completely sure what i'm going to do for lent but i have  a few thoughts.  i think keeping up better communication with friends and family i don't/can't see all the time will be on thing at least

Me too Rose_gil! Plus this year my parish is donating canned foods to those who need it in our community. We normally do it the first Sunday of lent but winter is so bad this year that we extended it to every Sunday during the lent season. So, every Sunday I will bring two-three canned food items! :-) I want to also see if I can help distribute them out.

I always try to do something that is reflective and benefits someone other than myself.  Last year, before Lent, I made a list of 40 people who I wanted to say thank-you to (including random folks like my friend's mom who always grove me home from middle school on rainy days so I wouldn't have to walk, my 11th grade AP Biology teacher, and I even wrote a thank you to a politician who supported some legislation that was personally very important to me).  I did not include any family, co-workers, or friends that I am in regular contact with because I wanted to stretch my brain and think about the meaningful things that others have done for me.  So, each day I hand wrote on a nice notecard (no emails) a thank you note, hunted down addresses and surprised folks which an old-fashioned note out of the blue.  I was able to stick to the committment and I know that I made the days of 40 other people in the world. 

 This year, I am going to make charitable contributions to 40 people/organizations -- even if I can only give a dollar or two to each.  Also, I am going to take 40 novels that I enjoy off my bookshelf at home (I hoard novels) and give them away to people who might enjoy them.  The third thing I am doing this year is spend 40 minutes for each of the 40 days outside to appreciate the wonders of nature...also a good time to get in a nice walk to take the kids to the park.  I tend to avoid outdoors.  I work in a building with very limited natural light (correctional setting for juveniles) and I tend to work out indoors -- I always complain about weather and bugs when I'm outside, so it will be a struggle.  My husband is always the one who takes our kids outside to play.