Lenten check-up

I've given up sweets for Lent in the hopes of increasing spiritual attentiveness.

I have become attuned to the many guile's of temptation. Once while going to the cupboard to get the kids some medicine, I came face to face with black licorice - one of my favorite treats. I hadn't been looking for temptation, yet it found me very suddenly & unexpectedly.

Another day while I was helping at the Junior High Open House I wandered into the Foods class where they had freshly baked cookies. I picked one up and had a bite before I even realized the cookie was off limits. As I passed it onto a friend who wasn't abstaining from sweets there was another insight - not all temptations are always wrong for every person.

Yesterday at lunch my youngest son gave me a cookie he had bought me at a school bake sale to benefit Japan. Again I had a bite before I realized my Lent commitment. Forbidden fruit pops up at the most unexpected times!

After one bite I was repelled by the sweetness. I was able to tell my son that having given up sweets (mostly!) they no longer seemed to satisfy me like they once did.

God can satisfy us in ways we never thought possible.

Take some time to pray through your experiences this Lenten season.

Share what you are learning with someone else.