40 Days Without Frosting

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”
Psalm 40:6-8

Edge of Winter’s blade and spring comes softly, quietly, like a swan in the silent dawn. Lent comes early this year. I see the fish and chip signs up and I wonder- Don’t fish and chips taste better than red meat-- is that a real sacrifice? Fish and chips and lent and sacrifices made and sacrifices forgotten and promises made and promises forsaken and Jesus-real-risen-alive. And we remember. There are places for altars of remembrance and contemplation and solitude. We remember the Sacrifice, the scent of myrrh in the dawn air moving, misting into the sky. And we are still and filled with reflection; filled with the sense, with the reality of the Sacrifice.

And I think—I don’t have to, but I think-Maybe I should do something to remember this year-and I don’t have to; it is not required, but I want to- because it helps me to remember. Sometimes I need a reminder, for my flesh is strong-and it helps me to remember---

Then I read an article on sacrificing for Lent-and I think-“But I’m not Catholic!” Does it matter? And I think; but I am His-and He is mine-and I want to remember-to press the once-broken-it-is-finished-Sacrifice to my heart. Sometimes the offering helps me to remember; I am human and forgetful.

So I think-what is important to me? Perhaps I can’t give up a meal because I’m nursing my baby but I can give up something that I like—which is frosting. Frosting and cake and ice-cream and donuts and those coffee rolls at Honey-Dew that I really shouldn’t eat, but do, and peanut-butter-cups and yes, the irish-cream donut.

So I think, I don’t have to, but I want to give this up to help me to remember-how easily I forget-the Sacrifice.

Soul-still before Him, my Author and every time I do not bite into sugar these 40 days I think and I remember and I struggle not to substitute something “just-as-good,” because then it doesn’t mean anything.

So I remember, and it doesn’t make me better, just honest-that I need to remember and that giving up something that I like helps me to do this. Sometimes we need a reminder.

Every time I fast I think, “I am no better,” and the pride rises up and I pray it down-but the fasting, the giving helps me to relate-identify with One Who gave His life-blood-sacrifice for me.

So I’ll go these 40 days without frosting-but wait-there were Valentine’s Day sweets and I ate them as I said I would because we are not bound by days. But the other days-I sought to lay them aside-and it helps me to remember, helps me keep a quiet heart, draws me nearer to the Sacifice.

I’ll have frosting on Easter Day . . . and rejoice.