Lent Update #1

While discussing the whole idea of doing lent together as a committee, we were warned of potential outcomes of attempting to fast from certain things. The first was that as we gave something up, regardless of what it would be, it would simply just be replaced with something else just as bad. For example, give up Facebook, spend more time on Instagram; give up sweets, indulge in savoury foods.  The second was that even if we did successfully get through the forty-ish days of fasting, the minute it would end, overindulgence and binging on whatever we had given up would begin.

"Lent is a period to empty ourselves of lesser things so that we may be filled with greater things of the gospel." - Geoff Ashley

We're a week and a half into lent, and since the 10th i've been doing my best on giving up YouTube. It's been quite hard, when you're sent things to watch, when entertainment news that catches your eye is linked to a youtube video, and especially when the Grammys where last monday night. I must confess, it hasn't been altogether the most successful. I found myself dabbling here and there (I watched the Grammy performances...), but I will say that I haven't watched any "youtuber content", which i'd say is a big part of my YouTube time; the 15+ min vlogs, the countless 5 min silly, challenge, tag, Q&A videos, that just accumulate to hours and hours of screen time.

On the flip side, i've been trying to intentionally replace it with more time in prayer. It started out pretty well, intentionally devoting more time towards the end of my day to pray - although once I got home for reading week, things kinda fell apart as they usually do... I also found myself stumped at first when it came to what to do while eating since i'm so used to entertaining myself with YouTube videos, but thankfully I remembered John Piper's "Look At The Book" series, where he takes you through verses and passages in-depth on the screen. It's been enriching to use my meal time to purposefully fill my mind with God's word - especially when Piper has done the same passages from small group bible studies! I continually pray that my mind would be saturated with God's Word.

So reflecting on how my progress has been; I think I can be more intentionally filling my mind with greater things of the gospel, and I hope that when my YouTube fast ends, it won't be a time to just binge (as I can potentially anticipate to be tempted to).

This Wednesday marks the start of fasting a complaining mindset, and rather replacing it with intentional thanksgiving. An application from prayer meeting that has continually stuck with me is how so many times (and probably too many times), our lives are marked by run on sentences of REQUESTS to God, but may our lives instead be marked by run on sentences of PRAISE and THANKSGIVING.

Tomorrow also marks my final stretch of my undergraduate career! The next time i'll be going home is for the summer, or should I say, adulthood.