For several years now, I have observed Lent by giving up Facebook. No doubt it is my #1 vice. It is a major timewaster. Sure, I keep up with my friends through it, but for the most part it’s just people I vaguely know sharing memes. Not that they aren’t funny, not that they don’t make me smile. But surely I could find something to make me smile elsewhere that didn’t entail me mindlessly scrolling for ten minutes every hour. Surely a friend could make me laugh through a text, phone call, or visit. Surely I can live without Facebook for the next forty days.

After a few years of taking this break, it was no longer something I was sacrificing to show my faith. It was something I looked forward to. I wasn’t growing in my relationship with Christ, it was a social media vacation. I didn’t use the time to flip through my Bible, I used the time to read for pleasure. Or shop online. Or a million other things. So this year, I’m doing things a little different. This year I’m making it a real challenge. I’m giving up several things, and I’m incorporating my gift into blessing forty people.

You don’t have to be Catholic to follow Lent. You don’t even have to be a Christian. It might lead you to a better lifestyle, even though that isn’t the believer’s ultimate goal (we’re supposed to use these 40 days to observe how completely He loves us, just like every day). Here are some common ones, and a few I found intriguing. Maybe you could try them all, doing one each day. Or pick four, and do one each week of Lent. The starred ones are the ones I am doing. It seems like a lot, but as far as social media goes, I won’t be able to give it up ENTIRELY due to work and checking messenger, the cussing I should have quit forever ago, the gratitude needs to become a habit. Only the last one is really a sacrifice.

• Give up social media (or even just one, like Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat) ******
• Give up sugar, salt, or condiments
• Give up cussing ******
• Give up soft drinks, coffee, or alcohol
• Give up eating out, send that money to charity
• Give up plastic or single use items (I’ve done this one as a lifestyle change)
• Sleep on the floor or without a pillow
• Give up Netflix, gaming, or TV (or cut way back and use the time you spend for interacting with family or friends face to face. Or in Bible study)
• Quit reading or watching the news (trust me, I’ve lived without the news for years, besides what I can’t help but see on Facebook. This will improve your outlook on life, as you realize how little news affects you, really)
• Stop biting your nails
• Give up speeding {I might do that next year. Gulp}
• Give up online shopping (I did this one in 2017 to kick my Lularoe Legging habit. It worked!)
• Give up sarcasm
• Stop talking about yourself unless someone asks you a direct question
• Maintain silence on your commute
• Give up complaining~focus on gratitude
• Give up pessimism~become an optimist
• Give up worry~ trust Divine Providence
• Give up bitterness ~ turn to forgiveness
• Give up hatred ~ return good for evil
• Give up anger ~ be more patient
• Give up pettiness ~ become mature
• Give up gloom ~ enjoy beauty all around you
• Give up jealousy ~ pray for trust
• Give up gossiping ~ control your tongue
• Give up sin ~ turn to virtue (this applies to a few on this list already)
• Give up GIVING UP ~ hang in there!!!
• Start a gratitude journal *****(to be included in my daily post)
• Think of a person in your life and offer them one day of Lent. *****

So. Here’s what I’m going to do. If you would like to be included on my list of Lent, message me. I will still be checking my Facebook private messages during this time for this purpose. You can also comment here, I will check in daily. Or if you have my number, text me! If you have a prayer request, I will acknowledge that. I can either post it publicly through my blog, or keep it private. I can write it as a generalization or personalize it completely to you. It will be my honor to pray for you, write for you, and sacrifice for you! Get in touch! I’m just doing me today, since the day is half gone. And all improvement starts at Ground Zero.

I am grateful for my friends, Lord. They buoy me through encouraging words and remind me to keep my eyes on you, Lord, for the ultimate prize. Without them, my light would not shine nearly as bright. They work through you to show me love in compliments and how I am constantly improving the people around me through my smiles and energy. They console me and shore me up in my dark times. May I always be a light for you. Please continue to use me as a steward to share your love and message. I pray that you will lead me on the path to righteousness and that others will see you through me, and ask for help when they need it. I pray that no one is too ashamed to seek me out for prayer, and that they are honest in their specific needs. Please use me and my gift of the written word to examine my life and improve upon it.

Tomorrow is for a valued, sweet friend I met roughly a year ago–I’m giving up sugar for her! That will be super hard! But I have 38 days to fill after that. Y’all holler.