Why do I Lent

Every Easter, we are reminded with images of the crucifixion, the crown of thorns, nails in His hands, and His followers mourning and weeping His pain and death. These are images that remind us of the huge sacrifice that Jesus took, pain that He endure for me and you.

To this day, I still wonder why He would do something like that for me. I certainly don't deserve it. I need a constant reminder of His sufferings in order for me to be properly prepared for Easter.

To me, that's what Lent is all about. To be reminded of God's sacrifice and Jesus' sufferings as He died on the cross for me. God's gift to us allowed us to avoid being nailed on the cross and suffering for our sins. Truly, what we Lent is nothing compared to what He did for us, but in some ways its a way for us to do our part.

So my purpose for Lent is to give up something of my own, a sacrifice of a significant part of my every day life. Not just an inconvenience or something I can just think "ah well", and move on. It has to be something that I'll be constantly reminded of, and when I'm reminded of it, I must think about what Christ did for me.

Laterally, I like to give up something that is a luxury, something that might actually do me some good in giving up.

This year I've decided to sacrifice television. I hope that all of you can keep me accountable, not only of my abstaining from television, but to keep me focused on the purpose behind my sacrifice.

Starting on March 1st until April 16th, I will not use my television. This include the TV card on my computer. So no television for 46 days, no movies, xbox/gamecube games, no sports, commercials, news, weather, sitcoms, dramas, reality shows, DVDs.