Fat Tuesday -- Shrove Tuesday -- Mardi Gras

Today, all over the world, people celebrate.  Most have no idea what they are celebrating.  Most have no clue what they are partying for.  They just know that on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, you are supposed to celebrate.

There is a bunch of traditions and folklore behind the celebrations.  There are beliefs and understandings about why we do what we do on Shrove Tuesday.  There are EVEN 100s of different names for the celebration.  Many would insist it is Biblical, many know that it is not and still many don't care.

The celebration as I understand it is "The Festival and Feast before the Fast."  For me, I have grown to understand Ash Wednesday as my time to refocus my life and my faith.  It is a time for me to make sacrifices and live my life more toward God.  Back on New Year's I talked about resolutions and the fact that I don't make them.  I guess today would be my New Year's Eve.  Today would be the day that I look inward and see what parts of my life need some fixing.

Lots of people give up things for Lent.  Again, most don't really know why -- they are just supposed to.  People give up coffee because they think they are sacrificing that yummy goodness.  They don't often look to the deeper levels of spending that effort of drinking coffee and thinking about the lack of coffee as God time.  Replacing what you have given up to spend time with the Lord.

One of my youth gave up social networking last year.  (I probably should do that but ... no).  She spent that time in Bible Study and prayer.  She found she did not miss the pointless computer time.

For me personally, Lent is a time when I can refocus my life.  It is a time where I can focus on the important things -- eating right, being financially sound, spending time with God intentionally.  Hopefully, this also means for me that this becomes a habit and a lifestyle.  As Easter approaches, I don't go "WOOHOO, now I don't have to spend ALL that time in prayer."

I think we all set out at Lent for the appropriate reasons.  We go into it maybe not understanding the whys of Lent but understanding that it is important.  I think though, if we don't realize that "giving up something" or making goals of living right during Lent is not JUST a Lent thing, then we are doing this Lent thing for all the wrong reasons.

Making new promises to God and to ourselves should be a daily walk -- not just during Lent and not just on Sundays at church.

AMEN