Give instead of Giving Up this Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Lent season.  Lent is a time for prayer and repentance of sins, as Christians prepare for Holy Week and the celebration of Easter.  A common practice during Lent is to fast or give up certain types of luxuries.  Now I may ruffle a few feathers here, but I am not a fan of this tradition.  I realize that fasting and giving up something is suppose to help you grow closer to God, and in a way symbolize what Jesus Christ did for all of us during Holy Week.  But there is no way we can even come close to the same giving up of ourselves that Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.  And are you telling me that people that give up alcohol, chocolate or swearing during Lent are really doing that in recognition of the glory of God?  That is why today, on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, I am challenging all of you to Give of yourself in the glory of God.

So what are some ways we can Give this Lent you are now asking?  Well, here is a list of a few ideas I have and I'd love hear your ideas.  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

• Read the Bible daily
• Practice daily devotions and share your insights with your spouse, children, friends, etc.
• Start a prayer team with a friend or family member.  Send each other a text or call each other every day and pray with and for each other.
• Volunteer at your church or in your community.  Help feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, etc.
• Send letters to family, friends, shut-ins of your church and community, etc. and let them know how much they are loved by you and God (My friend Beth Ann has been doing this the last couple of years and I have been lucky to be on the receiving end of one of her cards.  It was very touching.)

I hope you all have a blessed Lent!

Happiness = Giving Up Things...

Last week I was reading a blog post from the Prairie Princess about "15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy" and I thought about those things today as I was busy comforting my 14 month old as he has a new molar tooth coming in, as I'm days late on responding to emails, and as I feel a little "behind" on getting things off my "to do" list done!

Anyways, I'd like to share with you the "Things."

1. Give up your need to always be right.
2. Give up your need for control.
3. Give up on blame.
4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk.
5. Give up your limiting beliefs.
6. Give up complaining.
7. Give up the luxury of criticism.
8. Give up your need to impress others.
9. Give up your resistance to change.
10. Give up labels.
11. Give up on your fears.
12. Give up your excuses.
13. Give up your past.
14. Give up attachment.
15. Give up living your life to other people's expectations.

The top three "Things" speaking to me today are:

• My Need to Always be Right - I need to remember to let things go and not always feel like I need to have the last word, or prove that I am correct.  This need has caused unnecessary stress and pain to me and others in the past.  I don't need that in my life, so I need to remember that I always don't need to be "right."
• My Need for Control - I feel like my need for control kind of relates to my need to always be right, but at the same time they're different.  I've always been independent and have been known to not delegate very well...  Now people that really know me are laughing out loud probably right now because they know how little I like to delegate.  But if I am feeling overwhelmed by just "stuff" I need to learn to let go and either delegate or reprioritize my priorities.  And I feel like reprioritizing might need my attention the most.
• My Excuses - At the start of this blog I gave excuses right off the bat about why I am just feeling a little bogged down right now.  If I stop giving excuses, then I have no other reason but to get things done that need to get done, as well as starting doing things that I may have pushed off for a long time because of excuses I gave myself.  

What "Things" would be best for your to give up?

Figuring out what I need to do to keep myself and my family  "in line" for happiness