Lent

The past few years I have tried to give something up for Lent. I have pretty much not done a good job of following my commitment. This year I have tried something different. I have given something up, and added something into its place. Watching TV takes up a pretty significant part of our day most days. It has become easy for me, and my kids, to wake up and drink coffee (for me) and juice (kids) while watching cartoons to start our day. We end up watching several shows before we start our day. Aaron knows what time shows come on and what show comes after the previous show during the day. Just to be honest folks, it's just easier. Having 3 kids and dealing with big stresses in my life right now has made it easier to justify watching TV on my 'mommy breaks' or for my kids while I am cleaning or just frankly am tired and it is easier. I enjoy TV. I have always watched too much TV since I was little, so I can't really even use having kids as an excuse. I have noticed more and more that both my older kids ask non stop for 'their show' and for 'just one more show after this show.' If the answer is no, whining/fit throwing starts immediately. Aaron has been showing some disrespectful behavior lately too. He is picking up phrases from certain shows, arguing with us constantly, and talking back a lot more lately. Is all this due to TV? No, but it is certainly not helping. So, I decided to drastically modify the amount of TV we are watching. Both boys can watch one movie or 2 short shows during the entire day from wake up to bed. Aaron bucked this new idea pretty hard the first few days, which just proved to me even more how bad it is needed. We have been doing it for a little over a week now and I noticed he has stopped asking to watch TV so much. I was reading what Rachel Held Evans said on her blog when Lent started about how to include your family in giving something up for Lent AND adding something to your routine in its place. I sat the boys down and talked to them about Lent and told them we were giving up watching a lot of TV but that we were also going to add some things to our day to think about Jesus...how he lived, what he taught leading up to the days of his death and anticipating his resurrection. We are doing simple things like singing more songs together and talking about their meaning, praying together and reading stories from the Bible about Jesus. Aaron, in particular, is eating. this. up. For me personally, I have committed 30min a day by myself praying, studying, and/or meditating. I am reading through the story of Jesus just for myself. I have studied the book of Mark for the past several months on and off with people and for the class I taught. I loved the study, but this time I am doing it for me. Not to prepare for a class or an evangelistic study...but for my growth and spiritual feeding.

I hope that my kids will not see this as me just trying to keep them from watching TV. Of course I am doing that, but I hope that by taking these actions, we will not see just something being taken away but what are trying to do to focus more on glorifying God holistically. I hope I will becoming more patient with my kids and husband. I want to become more peaceful, slower to anger. I want to show my kids that our relationships with each other are more important than the shows we watch. We will build more block towers and knock them over, we will make forts and have picnics outside. We will read the story of Jesus and talk about God's reign on earth. We we will be eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the table instead of in front of the TV. We are going to do puzzles, sing songs, do crafts, and cook together. Or maybe two sweet brothers can just play with toys by themselves....but we aren't going to watch TV. We just aren't.

May God be glorified in our daily life as a family. This family will start that by turning off the TV.

May God be glorified in our daily life as a family. This family will be more intentional about reflecting Jesus every day in the way we talk and act toward each other and others. I hope we will continue this even after Lent is over. It's showing some great results so far:)

We anticipate Easter Sunday when we will rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord.