fat tuesday

Fat Tuesday.
That just sounds like my kind of day, right off.
Apparently, there are lots of people eating a whole lot today.
That sounds good to me.
I didn't grow up practicing Lent.
But when I started dating Scott, the church he youth pastored at
had a rich Easter tradition, starting with an Ash Wednesday service where
they placed a smidge of ash on your on your forehead
or the back of your hand.
This signified the beginning of the period of 40 days before Easter.
A time to focus on Jesus and the price he paid for our freedom.
The ashes were the burned remains of the palm fronds
that had been waved on Palm Sunday the year before.
So on our foreheads we wore the ashes of our praises and
we began to prepare our hearts for all that Easter holds for us.
We were encouraged to give up something for lent,
in keeping with all that Christ gave up on our behalf.
So I decided to give up junk food.
Not until I gave it up did I realize how much I truly loved it.
How I longed for the taste of chocolate or the crunch of a Dorito or
the bubbly goodness of diet coke as it cascaded down my throat.
For some this would be a no brainer. Junk food?
Who even cares about junk food?
Let me give you a peak into my sugar twisted mind.
This morning I was perusing a magazine talking about
6 ways to make a difference in the planet.
One way is to park your car two days a month -
it's polution free - not to mention that you burn 300 calories
and in parentheses it said "a double scoop ice cream cone"
And my immediate thought was,
"If I don't drive for 2 days, I can eat a double scoop of ice cream."
While it seems I could care less about the planet,
I really do love ice cream.
It's a sickness, tsgs, it really is.
And so as I drink my last coke today
and scarf down some squares of chocolate on Fat Tuesday,
I am preparing to wean myself off of some sugar and fat,
so I can give myself some more space to think
about all Jesus did for me on that cross.
Of course, there is no comparison of his sacrifice and mine.
I'm saying "no" to cookies and he said "no" to thinking of himself.
I'm saying "yes" to a junk food fast and
he said "yes" to dying for all of my sins.
But on this Fat Tuesday, when it seems I don't have a whole lot of love
for my planet, I am realizing again I really do love my Jesus.
A whole lot.