I’m celebrating Lent this year, as I do every year.

“But Heather, you are not Catholic?”

I get that question all the time.

This is why I celebrate:
The 40 days of Lent represent the 40 days in the wilderness that Jesus spent praying.  In order for Jesus, the Holy Son of God, to spend such an amount of time with God, don’t you believe there had to be some sacrifices?  Ya bet.  When I look at my walk with God, I recognize a need for sacrifice.  I want to be able to walk with God the way Jesus did.  I recognize I can’t just “drop” everything for 40 days, but what can I do?  What can I do to get closer?  One of the traditions of Lent is giving something up.  Most give up soda, fast food, etc.

What am I giving up?
Last year I gave up Walmart, which was seemingly impossible to a college student like myself in a small town where Walmart is “The Mall.”  The reason I gave it up was because I spent a lot of unnecessary time there.  When procrastinating, I would go there.  We all know I have ADD-tendencies, so I can be in Walmart for hours.  It was an excuse.

But I got to go bigger this year.  I got to get where it hurts deepest (or at least deeper)

Secular Music?
Yes.
Why?
I spend so much time listening to it, to where it hurts me.  I justify the music I listen to by saying it “doesn’t affect me”, or that it keeps me “culturally relevant.”  And although those might be true some days and might be some of the reasons, the biggest reason is, I love it too much.  I love it too much to let go.  So this is going to be the hardest Lent of my life…thus far at least.

Here are my rules (because I need them):

1. No listening to secular music–in the car, in my room, at work, at all.
2. I’m changing my secular ringtones to Jesus-loving ringtones. Goodbye, Katy Perry and Bruno Mars.
3. Instead of Glee, I will go to a Bible study.  I needed to go anyway. And I won’t allow someone to call me into work to justify sitting there and watching Glee.
4. Switchfoot counts, according to the Grammys.  They beat out the reformed lyrics of Lecrae and David Crowder’s melodies that can only come from God Himself, so Switchfoot MUST be the holiest music I can find, right? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

So what’s going to happen after these 40 days?  Am I just going to pop in Ludacris and Lady Gaga and drop it like its hot?  Don’t think so.  Normally after Lent, I realize that what I had wasn’t really a necessity in my life, and I end up giving it up either for good, or at the very least it doesn’t control me as much.  In the past I’ve given up fast food and french fries, and I no longer desire either of them (except Taco Bell).  What I’m giving up is something that I plan on giving up for good, or at least something that I plan on purging from my life to make room for some more Jesus.

Please check out this great resource for Lent. I’m going to be using it with my youth group!
Also, this is a great post on Lent as well.  It explains almost everything you need to know!

Please comment with what you are giving up!