The End of 40 Days

Well, Lent has come to a close and I have to admit that I've indulged in both Facebook and sweets already. The funny thing is neither one was nearly as satisfying to experience after 40 days of abstaining as I thought they would be.

I actually forgot all about Facebook this morning. (Checking FB was part of my morning routine prior to these 40 days). But, my son Edison has been counting the days until we could go back on so he could play the Zoo World game. So, he reminded me. Really, at this point I feel like I could take it or leave it. Either way, I don't want to become as obsessed with it as I was...checking it many, many, many times during the day.

As far as sweets go, I guess you could say I've had quite a few so far today. I started my morning by having a mint chocolate biscotti with my coffee. Then, when my husband came home for lunch he brought out those home-made peanut butter eggs he brought home a couple weeks ago. (They've been stashed in the freezer). I ate 1/2 an egg. Plus I had a tiny bowl of icecream after lunch, and a couple dips into the hot fudge sundae topping (until I started reading the ingredient list & it suddenly didn't seem all that appealing anymore).

I guess it sounds like I really overindulged in the sweets so far today. When I write it all down, it sounds like a lot. The scary thing is...this is NOTHING compared to how much sugary stuff I used to eat on a daily basis.

So, what's my point? I was expecting to find much more enjoyment in being able to have these things in my life again. And, instead, if anything, they've lost some of their appeal. Perhaps this is the first step in learning some moderation.

I've been thinking that this idea of fasting is something I should continue throughout the year. When, I give up something that I've come to rely on, it forces me to analyze WHY that thing is so important to me. And, it helps me to be more aware of how I need to rely completely on God on not on other stuff.

So, perhaps in another week or so I'll begin a new 40 days of fasting. What could be next? Perhaps the television? Could I handle 40 days without HGTV, TLC, or Bravo? I bet I could. More importantly, what could I gain?