Lent AKA No Shopping

So, Happy Ash Wednesday. Or, for those of you that are giving up something

for Lent... Happy first day of sacrifice and suffering! ha!

Let me preface this by letting you know that I am not a Catholic or Presbyterian or any

other domination that actively push their members to give something up for Lent. I am

not one to give up something for Lent every year. In fact, I think I have only done

this one other year in my life. I grew up in a Nazarene church... aka Church of the

Nazarene. What is that you say? Basically we have the same theology as the Baptist Church

with just a few differences. Our church broke off from the Methodist church due to wanting

to be more missional. I'm actually a PK. What is that you say? It stands for Preacher's

Kid. Yes, my dad is a minister and being a preacher's kid is SO MUCH FUN!! ha.

Sarcasm?! Never! No, it's really not that bad... yes, people tend to hold you to a different

standard and expect you to know the whole Bible because I mean come on your dad

went to seminary and is an expert... why aren't you!? But, despite that I have had a great

experience being a PK. Lots of wonderful families with great hearts who have loved my

family and I as if we were their own.

But, all of that is really beside the point... just wanted to give you a little background into

my life. This post is really to open up my heart a little and share with you why

I have decided to give up shopping for Lent. I am not one who is an excessive

shopper or spender... I don't have a lot of credit card debt... I tend to think I live within

my means and am a responsible person. Well, at least by the "world's" standards.

As a proclaimed Follower of Christ I have been called to live much much differently than

what the world calls normal or ok. Christ makes it very clear in His word that to be one

of his disciples our mission is to care for the poor/needy/widows/orphans and to use

our resources and blessings for the intention of others. Jesus says in Matthew that is

hard for the rich to get into Heaven. That is is easier for a camel to go through the eye of

a needle than for the rich to enter Heaven. WOWZA! Have you ever stopped to think about

that and what that means for us as Americans? You may not consider yourself rich, but if you

have food and a roof over your head you are richer than most in our world. We have more

resources at our fingertips than half the world. And while half the world is starving

and living on less than a dollar a day we are spending our money on new cars, bigger

houses, nice clothes, fancy purses, make-up, and anything else you want to insert

in the blank.

The Lord has been convicting me of how I spend my money lately. The world would tell me

you deserve this or that... you work hard, you make good money, your single... go enjoy

that stuff while you can. Right? But, Jesus Christ tells me something completely different

and I have done a wonderful job of shutting my ears and being disobedient to His

call in my life and what His word commands in my life. So, this has led me into deciding

to give up shopping for Lent. It is a step in the direction of evaluating how I spend

my money and learning to cut back for the sake of things with Eternal value.

My prayer during this season of Lent is that the Lord would change my heart through

his Spirit. I am unable to change myself and my desires. I can't try hard enough to make

myself better. To make myself less materialistic or more compassionate for the poor

and lost. I am not capable of it, but there is someone who makes that possible. Someone

who loved me as well as you SO much that he went to the cross and bore the weight of

the world's sins and satisfied the wrath of a Holy God so that even though I am a wretched

sinner that is CONSTANTLY in need of grace and mercy he makes it possible for for me

to have relation with the Father.

I pray that God will make me more and more like Christ every day and that my life

bring Him glory in everything I do.

This may sound intense, but I'm not trying to be... I just wanted to share a piece of my

heart and what God is doing in my life.

So, here's to a 6 week journey of no shopping. I'm not allowed to buy new clothes,

shoes, make-up, etc. Only necessities. If I run out of toothpaste, deodorant, or shampoo

then I can obviously purchase. In my moments of weakness when I really want a new

shirt or dress for Easter or some fabulous new make-up my goal is to pray and draw

closer to God. To confess to God that more than I want a new dress, or this new blush,

or new spring lipstick I want YOU!!

May Christ be enough for me and you!