The season of Lent is just around the corner, and you’re probably already getting ready for this very important time of the year. During this season, it is customary to fast, pray, and give something up to help us grow closer to Jesus.
Often it can get overwhelming when we choose the things to give up for Lent, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. We came up with a list of suggestions of the things to give up for Lent that you can try out. But before that, let’s talk about something you should consider before choosing your penance.
Choosing the Relevant Sacrifice
When it comes to choosing what to give up for Lent, most people tend to choose something that is either too easy or too hard for them. For example, If you decide to give up eating tomatoes, but in fact, you don’t even really like tomatoes, then giving it up doesn’t really mean anything. Another example is you choose to give up taking a shower for Lent. Of course, that is very difficult and downright ludicrous.
These things won’t make sense to give up for Lent simply because it is based on a personal whim. The whole point of giving something up is the act of letting go of that comfortable thing and offering it to God as a form of fasting and purification. So we must choose something significant and relevant to us.
Things to Give Up For Lent
Below are some suggestions of the things to give up for Lent that you can try out this year. Remember, choose something relevant.
The Snooze Button
We all know how the snooze button just makes it more difficult for us to get out of bed. For this year’s Lenten season try doing the heroic minute. Once your alarm goes off, fight that urge to hit snooze and get up. You’ll see that this will truly make a difference in your mornings.
Distraction
If you know that there’s that one particular thing that distracts you from doing your work, studies, chores or duties then get rid of that. For example, you love listening to music while you’re studying, but you know that listening to music distracts you more than helping you focus. This season try to get rid of that habit and just focus on studying without your background music.
Snacking
We all love snacks and that’s a fact. However, most of the time you’re not really hungry but you still snack because it’s already a habit. For this Lenten season, give up snacking and see to it that you’ll only eat during your designated mealtime.
Binge Watching
Streaming has been so accessible that you can really binge watch wherever, whenever and to some, it has been a daily part of life. However, We all know that excess is not good, hence, binge-watching can be one of the things you can try to give up for Lent.
Excessive Online Shopping
Since we are in the digital age, Online shopping has been more widely accessible to a lot of people. It is so easy to shop and get the best deals online anytime through your phone. Most of the time you don’t even need that thing you’re buying, but since it’s free shipping and cheap you end up buying it anyway. Try giving this up for lent!
Social Media
We all know that we just end up spending hours and hours scrolling down through our feeds and putting off so many other important things that we can do in our day. This year try giving up social media for lent
Complaining
Sometimes we can catch ourselves always complaining on things that don’t even really make sense to complain about. Try to give up complaining this season of Lent, and offer up those small annoyances instead of allowing yourself to fall into that compainer mode.
Bitterness
Just like complaining, there are moments in our life that we can catch ourselves being bitter about something that did not turn out our way or liking. This Lenten season, try eliminating this feeling of bitterness in you, or if you catch yourself in that moment offer it up to the Lord.
Feeling Bad for Doing Chores
Chores are always getting in our way of the long list of things that we have to do for our work, duties, school etc. And because of that, we sometimes tend to resent chores. This year’s lent, try not to feel bad about doing so many chores but instead offer that resentment feeling up and just do it without any complaints or ill feelings.
Your Bad Habits
Any bad habit that you have, whether it’s eating snacks late at night, or not drinking enough water, or always cutting someone off when they’re talking. Any bad habit that you have you can choose to offer up.
Impatience
We all have those moments of impatience around the corner. If you’re the type of person who regularly have these impatient bursts, then consider offering this up this Lent.
Excuses
We’ve all been there. Having an excuse for things that we don’t want to do or don’t want to deal with is really unnecessary and can sometimes really block your way to living your life in the image and likeness of God. It’s time to stop those excuses and face things head on this Lenten season.
Why Give Up Something For Lent?
Giving something up for lent is important, but we should not forget the real reason behind this practice. As a Catholic lent is a way to offer up these small difficulties and discomfort in our lives to remember Jesus’ love and suffering for us. This is a way to say no to our own will but to say yes to God’s will even in the littlest way. Here, we get to deny ourselves, pick up our crosses daily, and have a chance to mold ourselves into a person that is fit for heaven.
Ways to Supplement Your Sacrifice
Navigating the challenges of sacrificing something for Lent can be daunting, especially when motivation and focus waver. An invaluable complement to your sacrifice is dedicating time to prayer, and a transformative way to achieve this is through participation in a Lenten retreat.
If you lack the time to physically attend a Lenten retreat, we highly recommend that you try Pray More Retreat. This online Lenten retreat offers flexibility for participation anytime and anywhere. It comes with both audio and video presentations, along with complimentary study guides for reflection, the Pray More Lenten Retreat provides a comprehensive and accessible tool to deepen your Lenten experience. Consider it not just as a supplement to your sacrifice but as a guide to recenter your purpose for penance and sacrifice this Lenten season.