Lenten Withdrawal

Well, it has not even been a week into the Lenten season and man oh man is this hard.  Amy and I gave up eating out and sweets.  That means no eating out, for any reason, at all.  Yikes!  It's actually not too bad though.  At least not for me.  I am lucky enough to have a wife who not only is a wonderful cook, but LOVES to cook for her family.  However, there are times when the day has been rough and long, or we are getting home later than desired.  Typically, our pre-Lenten selves would have given into temptation from one of the many fast food restaurants we pass on the way home.  My favorite is of course: Jack in the Box.  Their tacos are heavenly and I truly believe I would live off of them alone!  But alas, no giving in, at least not for 35 more days.  This is harder for Amy because it means preparing, or coming up with something quick on nights when we would have eaten out of a wrapper.  Giving up eating out of course had multiple benefits.  Hopefully helping to slim our waistlines while fattening our wallets.  So far, so good.

This brings me though to the part I have the most trouble with - the lack of sweets.  I have an almost unquenchable sweet tooth.  Chocolate, cookies, cake, candy, etc.  I usually have at least one sweet thing a day, sometimes small, sometimes not so small.  Not now though.  What makes this harder is the fact that this year Lent came shockingly close to Valentine's Day, really not leaving sufficient time to make a dent in the treats left over from the holiday.  Amy dealt with this by taking nearly all of the sweets, save some for the boys, to school for those not so insane as to give it up for Lent.  I have a small stash at school (that I haven't touched) that is waiting to make it's reappearance on Easter, along with all the Easter treats we will undoubtedly receive.  However, hard as it is, I trudge forward knowing that it is for a good and beneficial reason.

One the positive side though, we have also taken on things.  Personally I am reading the Bible in a year via YouVersion (yes there's an app for that too!).  I am happy to say that not only have I not missed a day, but I am actually enjoying it quite a bit.  I opted for the plan that reads straight through the Bible rather than one that skips around.  I like something a bit consistent and structured.  We have also taken the challenge Trinity has given via the new series Faith Comes By Hearing.  We listen to it on the way to school each morning, and we have now listened to the entire book of Matthew.  Finally, there is a benefit to the outrageous drive times we have!  So, hard as it is, I know we are doing something good this Lenten season.  Hopefully our faith will be strengthened, as will our knowledge of the Bible.  Plus, we have made a commitment to honor the sacrifice Jesus gave for us.

Good as it is though, I am still starving for something sweet, and I think this post just made me hungrier!  Oh well, I have taken to chewing gum at work when I get a craving for something sweet.  I'm on my second pack!  Oh well, just 35 days left, I can do this.  All is well, though not so sweet-tasting, in Drosche Land!