Lent? Who does LENT anymore?

I "did" lent this year. That's my vernacular for giving up something for Lent.

I gave up CHOCOLATE. No, I'm not a huge chocolate afficianado like some are, but I do like it. Lately, dark chocolate is my poison of choice and I've informed Mr. Z that he had darned well better have at least one dark chocolate bar on Easter morning for me or he's not getting his Lindt milk chocolate or the other little thing I have for him which shall remain nameless until that morning. (it's food, don't let your minds wander)
I was raised Orthodox and the Orthodox churches do observe Lent. I almost wrote "Celebrate Lent" but if you've given up something you love, let me tell you it's not much of a celebration. Some Protestants will protest that "that's legalistic!". I agree, if one is giving up something because one's been told to, that's legalistic. What you and I know is we need not give anything up because someone already gave everything up for us. You know who I mean! I believe lent is observed so we can realize and appreciate what HE went through....we can know, in this tiny way, what sacrifice feels like. That's why I did this this year, anyway.

I've mostly succeeded. I've had NO CHOCOLATE. OKAY, someone went out of her way to buy a dessert Z liked a lot at a luncheon and they were butterscotch cookies (I love butterscotch, I guess I should have given that up but I eat that even less than chocolate, so...). I had to eat one because she'd bought them especially for me. There I was picking chocolate bits out of it until my place setting looked like some nutty 4 year old had been eating whole grain bread and had decided it wasn't bad except for the grains...you know? Very unsightly. One TEENY TINY bit of chocolate did escape and make it to my mouth. I felt terrible but I'd done the best I could. I have to admit I've had twinges of "I want CHOCOLATE" (Mr Z eats quite a bit of it, and I've even unwrapped a Lindt bar for him....THAT is a sacrifice!), so I've felt that draw and I've not given into it. There's the lesson, I believe.

Would that I could think of LENT when I am pressed to gossip, hear gossip, say something negative, WORRY (which I do better than most of you and which i still do consider a sin because we're told that it is), and any bunch of other things I feel I shouldn't do. I'm not much of a gossip, but COME ON, to never gossip isn't as easy as it sounds, is it.

Will I remember this all year long? Will I remember to stop and think about Lent when someone tells me a friend's business that I shouldn't know? Will I think "Oh, come on, listen to it, it's fun and ...what's the down side?" Or will I remember Lent. Will I remember "Don't do that...remember that if you can give up chocolate you can give up this"?

Anyway, I think that's what I learned from this last month of sacrifice. Some sacrifice compared to His, huh? Silly, but it's worked for me. I figured if I had to give up chocolate you should at least read about my deprivation! And, maybe we've both learned a little about lent...and the much bigger picture.

I have, I hope.

z