Lent

I haven't always been someone who observes Lent, and the few times I've done it, I certainly haven't always been faithful to its purpose. However, as I've grown older, and more mature, I've found that I quite like the idea of purposefully sacrificing something that give me more time with the Lord. Forty days is a long time, so it's kind of a big deal. I guess I started thinking about this on Sunday, so I knew this morning I had to make a real decision.
I've mentioned it before, but technology has definitely been an idol in my life, and I'm sure I use it more than some, even when I think I'm managing it pretty well. So I took stock of the things I felt like were the biggest time waster for me. Things I could give up and instead spend in prayer or reading the Bible, or worshipping God. I think this one has been a problem in the past, but has trickled up to a higher status of problem since I've been staying home. Watching tv. Boo. I hate that I spend so much time with the tv on. It's just easy to have on. I usually will wake up and watch the news for a half hour or so. Then it's off until Addy's morning nap (which we're giving up now, so it's been easy to give up this morning tv time) when I switch on some shows while I work. I'm not even paying attention that closely, but it does divide my attention and make me less productive, which isn't all that honoring to God, I'd say. If we're home, I like to watch Ellen, because it makes me laugh and that's what I really enjoyed watching when I'd come home from a long day of work. And then after dinner Pete and would usually watch 2 shows or so that had been DVR'd or were actually on that night.
So I'm mostly giving up watching tv, because that is just ridiculous. Too much television! There is so much more that can be done in a day than watching other people live life (or pretend to). I know I'm not giving it up all together though. I'm for sure not watching tv while Addy is awake anymore. So that leaves an hour or two at night that are possible, but I want to try to limit that as well. It's a hard one to manage when you have other people who might be interested in watching tv when you've committed not to, so I'm going with the "not while Addy is awake" time slot right now, and hoping I can show some self-control outside of that time as well. I think it'll be really great for my relationship with the Lord. Already, I have gone back to reading on the elliptical instead of watching HGTV. :)