My Daily Bread…

I love bread.

I really love bread.

Almost as much as this lady loves bread…

But this year for Lent I decided to give up bread.

Lent is a relatively new concept to me.  I grew up in a Baptist church and was not privy to the liturgical calendar followed closely by other Christian faith traditions.

But I love everything that Lent is representative of and have “given up” something for Lent the past ten years or so.  I don’t always tell people what I am abstaining from. Because it isn’t something our church “does”, I’m not involved with the tradition corporately, but for me it is an important and intensely personal tradition, and each year I struggle with something to “give up” for Lent.

In the past I have given up soft drinks, sweets, even TV.  Last year I gave up laziness and exercised each and every day.

This year I chose bread.

Why bread?

Because I eat bread each and every day.

As I said earlier… I love bread.  I love sandwiches.  I love pasta.  I love bagels for breakfast.  By giving up bread and substituting that with either reading the Bible or praying during this period of Lent, I am constantly mindful of what Jesus did for us – culminating on Easter Sunday.

And that is what Lent is about, right?

Preparing our hearts for Easter.

Being ever mindful of the relationship that God desires with us.   Being ever mindful that he sent his son Jesus to have fellowship with us.  To break bread with us.  To walk among us.

And that he gave his life, his body, his blood – so that we may have fellowship with him.

So from now until Easter, I’ll be skipping the bagels and sandwiches, and pasta, and pizza… trading in that hunger for a desire to walk closer with Jesus.

Do you participate in Lent?  What did you “give up” this year?  Let’s talk about it on the GracefulMess Facebook page.  

Small disclaimer: I know that not everyone shares the same faith tradition.  I write this post from a Christian perspective, simply sharing my beliefs just as I do in my other posts about parenting and life.  These are my opinions and thoughts and I don’t expect everyone to believe as I do. I just share what is happening in my life at the time and what has inspired me.  Thanks for reading!  

 

 

Jennifer Collins

About Jennifer Collins

Jennifer is a mom with a day job and she likes to write about her victories and messes along the way. She is living an adventurous life as a Georgia transplant learning to thrive in Maine, with a strong Southern accent that screams that she is "from away" and a new-found love for lobster rolls and timely snow plows. Jennifer's writing has been featured on BlogHer, iVillage Australia, Daddy Doin' Work, and Mamapedia.