Lent

I have participated in giving something up for Lent since second grade despite the Lenten season not being a huge deal in my home. I am not Catholic, nor was I raised Catholic; but, at seven, I coveted that black smudgy cross nearly as much as I coveted my friends pretty, white first communion dresses.

I also like a challenge. So, I played along.

I was raised Episcopalian… which, is basically, Catholic’s little- more laid back- sister. We had Lent and ashy foreheads, but it was a lot more casual. I didn’t get to get out of school on a Wednesday for mass (We didn’t even call a service “mass.”) and we could eat meat on Friday’s.

In our services, we sang a whole lot more than the demure Catholic services I attended after staying the night with a friend. There were not rules about when we took our first communion, so often preschoolers participated, and older teenagers chose when- and if- they wanted to be confirmed. I served at the alter alongside my male classmates and we had female church leaders. It was a church believed in equality- in every sense- for everyone.

Through the lense of adulthood, there are many things that have changed for me in regards to religion. First, despite my longing for the beauty and tradition of Catholicism as a girl, Episcopalian was an amazing way to grow up.

But, still, even with it’s more progressive beliefs, much of my religious experience was laced with upper-middle class privilege. (This is a huge blog post for another day, but think: Feeding the homeless to recognize what you have and, well, the allure of pretty first communion dresses.)

But, one thing that hasn’t changed is Lent. Even after all these years, it’s still something that makes me take pause and reflect as the season asks Christians to do.

Traditionally, the idea is to give something up, a luxury, to reflect the sacrifices that Jesus made. As a girl and into my twenties it would be something like chocolate, sweets, soda, or wine during the week. All things that I knew were kind of bad for me. A little “sin,” if you will.

But, I gave them up… with a little vanity. With the hopes of losing a little weight.

Today, myself and many of my peers may find ourselves far from church, but remembering Lent and thinking of it as a New Year’s reboot. A nice thing to try for 40 days. A challenge with a timeline. We like those.

Religion and faith are weird and confusing for me. I have zero answers and nearly that many beliefs on the subject because it’s not a gift I have fully received. But, I what I do believe is that there shouldn’t be any shame in whatever anyone choses to focus on during Lent even if there is a touch of a desire to use it as a weight loss plan.

Sure, there could be a bit of vanity involved; but, I am finding in losing weight over the last few months I am using a lot of “church-y” words without even thinking about it. Words like “bless,” “honor,” “soul,” and “gift.”

“I will only eat foods that bless my body.”
“I will honor my body with movement.”
“This body houses my dreams, heart and soul. I will take care of it.”
“This body grew two babies. Got my butt to classes at Purdue in the cold. Allows me to walk into a public place and not worry about stares or comments. This body is a gift.”

It’s been a long time coming after all the hate my body has received from it’s biggest critic… yours truly. And, like my relationship with religion, it’s still a complicated relationship. Meaning it’s all far from perfect. (Don’t worry, I definitely roll my eyes when I remind myself that “I will only eat foods that *bless* my body.”)

But, it’s working. After years of trying everything under the sun, this is what is working.

So, if there is a creator behind our bodies, the bodies that houses our dreams, hearts, and souls; allows us to carry babies; chase goals; travel the world; build businesses and charities; climb mountains and more, then it really is a gift. A gift worth honoring.

So why not use Lent to give yourself that reboot? Why not use the season to reflect on what a gift your body is while watching what you fed it and moving more?

Perhaps it will be the jumpstart needed for a lifestyle change or two, not just a 40 Day Challenge.

And, maybe one of those changes will have nothing to do with weight loss.