Struggles

I already told you what I'm giving up for Lent. The purpose of this is not for fun, but to sacrifice for Jesus as He sacrificed for us. Every time I'm faced with a temptation to eat or drink something I have sacrificed, it brings me closer to God. It draws Him to my center and my struggle doesn't seem so hard because only God can really "fill" my want. This is a hard lesson I'm learning. I used to just give something up because my dad told me I had to. :) Then it was because it was something I just "did." I never understood the meaning behind it...the true meaning and purpose of it.
This weekend we went to lunch at our friends' house. They asked us to bring dessert. Saturday afternoon I made cookies. This was really hard for me. It was temptation and fear that I would fail and eat one. I didn't, but a lot of you got a ton of prayers! Just so you can get a sense of the saliva I offered up...
Apparently at my church, you're allowed to eat whatever you want on Sunday. It's a feast day and not included in the 40 days of Lent because technically, the time between Ash Wednesday and Easter is 45 days. I wasn't raised that way, so I'm not sure if I'm going to follow that or not. It's evening on Sunday, and I haven't had anything I've sacrificed, but the day is not over. :) I might have some lemonade later. My mission is to grow closer to God, not test my will power. When that change takes place in you, it's a whole different ballgame. Good luck to all of you sacrificing. PLAY BALL!