For my men’s group, we are all giving up something for Lent. I decided to give up coffee. Actually, I don’t drink coffee on a daily basis, maybe like 2 to 3 times a week. For me, coffee drinking is more of something that I enjoy and savor rather than something that I need to ‘stay awake’, so I tend to be particular as to what coffee I will drink. Especially since we brought back a bunch of delicious Kona coffee from our trip to Hawaii.

Anyways, before I decided on giving up coffee for Lent, I was struggling as to what in my life I would give up, and that of course led me to ask what the purpose of Lent was in my own Christian walk. I finally settled on coffee, pretty much by default, seeing it as a luxury in my life that I enjoyed but not as a necessity. I figured that in feeling the minor ‘pain’ of not having it for these few weeks would be a reminder to spend some time in reflection for what Christ had done for me in giving up His own life (I know, coffee seems kind of paltry to that, I’ll get to that more below).

After about a week into Lent, I read this article in Relevant Magazine, “Slowdance on the Inside”. Here’s a key excerpt:

Lent, the forty days leading up to Easter (not including Sundays, during which we celebrate Jesus� resurrection), has traditionally been a season of repentance for believers. This season is not so much about the giving up of things as it is about the letting go of those things that hold us back from loving God whole-heartedly. Perhaps we can apply John Piper�s principle on fasting to the season of Lent: Our prayer, as we let go of certain things, becomes �This much, O God, I want You.� As is the case with many of our traditions, though, it is all too easy to miss the meaning behind Lent as we focus on its outward expression.

Wow, I guess, I need to re-evaluate how much it is that I want God in my life, if only for a cup of coffee. I think I’ll stick with my ‘no coffee’ Lent for now, but hopefully spend a greater proporionate amount of time seeking after Him.