are you ready for lent?

Lent starts in less than a week (Feb. 14) and this article appeared in the Living with Christ daily prayer missals last year. FASTING and FEASTING by Anonymous Anthony Lent is a time to fast from certain things and to feast on others. It is a season when we:

Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling in them. Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of all life. Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light. Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God. Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify. Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude. Fast from anger; feast on patience. Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism. Fast from worry; feast on divine order. Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation. Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives. Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayers. Fast from hostility; feast on non-resistance. Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness. Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion from others. Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth. Fast from discouragement; feast on hope. Fast from facts that depress; feast on verities that uplift. Fast from laziness; feast on enthusiasm. Fast from suspicion; feast on truth. Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire. Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity. Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence. Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that undergirds. For “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:4