Introduction

Shortly after posting yesterday about my need for taking a break of media, my fiancée who's always spying for my latest article, told me that it could be a great idea to do this "fast" as a Lent. Since I've been a Christian for about 17 months, I've never heard of that tradition before...which now I've delved into.

Needless to say, I've decided to expand my fast to encompass more than just my consumption of media and I will also be extending it for the entire Lent (40 days)

What is Lent and Why?

Lent, which comes from an ancient Anglo-Saxon word, “Lencten”, simply means “spring” is a symbolic representation of the forty-day period reflects the forty days and forty nights that Jesus spent in the wilderness after His baptism. It is in these forty days that he wrestled with the temptation to be what the world wanted Him to be, or to yield only to the Spirit of God.

Paradoxically, it is a Celebration of Freedom

Since I became Christian, I discovered that freedom can mean something completely different. In the world, freedom is defined often as the ability to "do what i want, when I want, however I want". But the new definition that I've discovered is that freedom can be the ability NOT to act on our animal instincts(living in Adam's sin) but to act according to a higher order of virtue (living in accordance to the Spirit).

The ability to chose beyond what would satisfy our desires right here right now is difficult. Voluntarily saying NO to something that we are addicted to is an act of true freedom.

So What Will I Be Lenting On?

Media was a good start and I've found some really cool apps to help me stay clear from Youtube and other sites. But yesterday, as I was talking to my fiancée, I realized that the substance I am most addicted to is...coffee. I'm not free to say No to coffee in the morning.

So starting March 1, coffee will be canceled from my daily diet as well as all the media that is not related to work. (I've already started on the media thing)

Conclusion

I'm excited to cut coffee for 40 days. I'm a serious coffee drinker and sacrificing it for a little while is a challenge that I'm looking forward to.

Anybody else doing Lent?