FAT Tuesday

Ah, Mardi Gras.  Fat Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday. Pancake Day… whatever you call it, it’s delicious.

For Shrove Tuesday, I ate horribly.  I mean, I obviously need to work on my diet as it is, but I was making excuses for myself today.  Not exactly necessary anymore since we aren’t banned from eating eggs and meats etc for the next 46 days.  The chocolate chip pancakes and bacon were wonderful at church tonight though!

Tomorrow begins Lent.  I’ve always associated it with giving something up.  I remember over 20 years ago, the first thing I deliberately “gave up” was Nerds candy.  It was my favorite candy, and if I did well in school, I would get a box for a Friday treat.  I was soooooo ready for Easter to come, so I could have Nerds again, instead of whatever other candy I’d chosen that week.

I recently read something that summed up what took years for me to learn.  It’s not about giving something up. “Lent is about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out of our lives forever. Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new life in Christ.” (from catholic.org, but I think it applies to all Christians… even protestants like me!)

I enjoy food. Probably too much. And I find comfort in it.  Stressed? Depressed? Angry? I self-medicate with food.  The more unhealthy, the better it helps bury it down. And, obviously, that’s not using it for its intended purpose.  I use it in excess. I use it for comfort. It’s turning me into a poor steward of what I’ve been given- my body.  I don’t have the energy or stamina to take care of my family like I should.  I’m trying to give up this habit for Lent, and find comfort in the ultimate Comforter. The only thing that will never let us down.

We had a great nutrition talk with Leslie Knox-  it’s the stuff you’ve heard at some point, but sometimes you just need the reminder and the interaction.  I really needed it!  Hopefully this knowledge and deliberate change carries on through Easter- and beyond.  Boy, am I thankful for Easter… and it’s not because I can eat Nerds again.  Time to start preparing, and getting my heart in the right place!