Sayin' Sayonara for 40 Days

If you know me, you know that this is going to be really hard...for Lent I have given up my usual obsession with Diet Coke.  Let me tell you, I love this stuff.  When I was teaching, I fell into the trap of driving through Chick-Fil-A every morning (yikes on the pocketbook!) to get a large Diet Coke.  This is what got me through the day.  I didn't drink it for the caffeine (although I'm sure that that performed its magic without me acknowledging it) but for the wonderful, cold, bubbly feeling that I felt as I took a big swig out of my straw.  I just love the way this stuff tastes.  I even feel as though it brings out the flavor in other things that I eat and I often drink it for dinner because it accommodates so many meals so well.  

So when it came time to figure out what I was going to give up for the Lent season, it seemed a no-brainer that this was going to be it.  I know it's only been one day, and I haven't eaten out (fountain drinks are TO DIE FOR) but it's been good.
I see and hear a lot of people talking about what they're giving up for Lent, and not that I'm judging these people or questioning their personal walks with Christ, but it has really hit home to me this tradition and way of life that a lot of people have adopted without really thinking about it.  This comment is mostly directed at myself as I do not want to give up something for Lent because that's just what you do.  I want to give it up as a sacrifice to try and identify and most importantly to see the magnitude of Christ's sufferings that He went through for me and for you.  This is something that I should try to remember and encompass in my every day life in and out of the season of Lent.  My prayer is that in this Lent Season I may get in the right mindset and prepare for Easter and all the good news that this season brings!