Funny Guy Friday... Give it up for Lent...

     Funny Guy Friday is written each week by my husband Mark. So, I married a funny guy...
     We are coming to the end of Lent and I have to admit, I have not always been a big fan of the Lenten sacrifice. When I mention this to Cheryl, she explains Lent to me... we deprive ourselves for forty days and exercise self discipline, just as Jesus exercised self discipline for forty days in the wilderness. This brings us closer to God and makes us stronger in our faith. 
     I don't have the heart to tell her that I understand it... I am just not a big fan of it. More specifically, I am just not a big fan of it when it comes to me. I just don't see it working for me in my life.
     I was raised as a Lutheran.
     Frankly, if most Catholics were to be dropped down from outer space and plopped right in the middle of a Lutheran service (not a Mass), I would bet that that would think they were at a Catholic Mass... assuming, of course, that the pastor (not the priest) were a man and not a woman.
     Apparently, when Martin Luther wrote his Ninety-Five Theses, and addressed the Diet of Worms, he never waived his hands up in the air woofing and shouting, Let's give it up for Lent!
     By the way, are you impressed with my Martin Luther knowledge?  
     You should be. Of course, I am not exactly sure that I have the Theses thing and the Worm thing exactly correct, but I am in the ball park. I am just saying, don't use Funny Guy Friday as a research tool.  
     I'll take this moment to tell two "Lutheran" stories.
     The first occurred when I was attending Confirmation classes at the Lutheran church. We had a classmate that rarely attended, and when she did, she did not pay that much attention. Near the end of the year, the teacher asked us some basic questions of each student and gave her the softest of softball questions... Who was Martin Luther? 
     Martin Luther... was a guy... who was a church guy... who fought for civil rights in the 60's!
     No, that was King... Martin Luther King. King!
     Martin Luther was a king? 
     The second involved my brother Paul who is a Lutheran pastor (Mom always liked him best). When I made the decision to become Catholic, I thought it would be a good idea to go spend some time with my brother and see if he had any thoughts. On the five hour drive to Durham, I prepared for any and all questions that he might fire my way.
     We were out playing golf on the third hole, and I decided we would have fifteen more holes... and plenty of time... to hash things out.
     Hey, uh, I just, uh, wanted to let you know, uh, I have uh, decided to join the Catholic church.
     Have you told Mom and Dad?
     No, I thought I would run it up the ol' flag pole with you first.
     It's pretty much the same... Would you use a five iron from this distance? 
     That was it? I demanded a religion trade, and one of the coaches accommodated me with no questions asked?  I suppose... Have you told Mom and Dad? and Would you use a five iron from this distance? qualify as questions, but they were not what I had in mind.
     Anyway, back to Lenten sacrifices.
     It is not as if I don't have the willpower to give up stuff that I love. I can... and I do.
     One year, I gave up soda and did really well. In fact, I gave up drinking Dr. Pepper three Easters ago and never went back to it. Of course, this resulted in an addiction to sweet tea... the sweeter, the better... that had to be given up the following year.
     And therein lies one of my problems: if I give up something that is bad for me, should I really be  replacing it with something equally bad for me? For instance, is it right to give up Snickers bars but still gobble up every Baby Ruth that crosses my path?
     So, instead of giving things up, I try to make an effort to make myself a better person. For instance, I strive to be more patient and understanding of other people. To put myself in their shoes and see things from their perspective.
     The problem is that these "other people" don't always cooperate, and they end up irritating me. Perhaps "other people" could give up irritating me during Lent, and we would all be better for it.
     What I really need to do is commit my issues to prayer. Unfortunately, I don't really have a great prayer life.
     You  know, I just came up with a great idea. I could improve my prayer life by making a conscious decision to commit fifteen minutes a day to prayer. If I were to do this for say, oh, I don't know, about five or six weeks in a row, it would become part of my daily routine.
     But as for this Lent thing, I just am not sure it really works for me!
     Hey, wait a second... I see what just happened. Oh wow, this is a little embarrassing. If I do it right, this Lenten sacrifice will work for me. If I commit to something for forty days, it might just change my life and bring me closer to God. In fact, now that I think about it, I never drink Dr. Pepper or sweet tea anymore.
     Ignore what I just wrote... have a blessed Easter!