I lost 6 pounds today! I started a weight loss challenge on January 17th, 2010. So far so good!! This is the first time I have ever been motivated to make changes in my diet and eating habits. As I am on this new weight loss journey, I have noticed that it parallels quite nicely with what I am learning this Lenten season.
First of all, I am NOT on a diet. A diet implies temporary. I am giving an honest attempt at a lifestyle change as far as eating goes. I started this because I was concerned about my health. I had been feeling sluggish and, well, not up to par lately and thought I might be able to gain some sense of renewal if I lost some weight.
As I shed the pounds, I notice small but rewarding changes with every little bit! I can't help but compare this experience with Lent. I feel as though they go hand in hand! Lent is a time to step back and cultivate the spiritual discipline of making personal sacrifices, reminding us of the importance of spiritual truths over earthly goods. It's a good time to think about the blessings we have and about the frivolous things we tend to hold onto, a time to give up something we enjoy as a reminder of the true meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice. Lent is a also season of soul-searching, reflection and taking stock.
Backing up slightly, here are some truths about dieting. First of all, they don't work. Secondly, they can lead to binge eating or falling back into old habits worse than before. A diet is about the temporary fix, whether we think so or not. On many diets, you are not eating the way you will eat for the rest of your life. You eat foods you may not like very much and don't find satisfying. They are the quickest way to a certain result but cannot be maintained. Among other things, diets can make you feel tired, break down confidence and self-esteem (when a diet fails, you feel like the failure-not the diet), and put your life on hold.
I think my main point here is that this is all temporary! We constantly strive for things that are unsatisfying and unhealthy, sometimes without realizing it! We are not meant to live this way. During Lent, we are called to practice discipline, look at life choices, dispense with the unnecessary, and reflect on growing in love appreciation for our Lord and His sacrifice. We are challenged to give up those things that would come between us and God and to incorporate more healthy elements into our 'spiritual diet." If we slowly add these things into our life, we are more easily able to maintain them! We are called to make a LIFE STYLE change!!
In reflecting on the 10th Station of the Cross (Jesus is stripped), I am convicted that this is a direct call for each of us to also be stripped. Jesus was humiliated in front of crowds of people. Out of love, He was the perfect example of dying to self. He calls us to be bared before Him, bringing all of our insecurities, imperfections, disappointments, embarrassments, joys, EVERYTHING! Surrender it all back to Him.
Let us not confuse surrender with weakness! It takes the greatest strength to give up what you love, what you are attached to. It takes discipline and commitment to let go! But all of this is good for you! It's HEALTHY! Lent is a time of self-denial. Denial has a negative connotation but it is through denial and death to self that we leave room for growth and something new and positive to enter in. We give ourselves room for more substantial and satisfying things and leave room for God to work. And as with weight loss, every little bit that we lose or give up becomes more of a reward and feels so much better! Every little bit we are able to give up or get rid of is motivation to continue on the path towards self discovery and understanding of what God has in store for us!
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