What I’m Giving Up For Lent

I don’t often talk about spirituality here on Growing Up Herbal because I didn’t start this blog for it to be about that topic. However, as it has slowly shifted into more of a lifestyle blog, I suppose that spiritual topics will come up now and again since they are a part of my life.

With that said, Lent begins this Wednesday, and some church friends and I, along with some of our husbands, have decided to do the Daniel Fast during the weeks leading up to Easter. That means we’re giving up all animal products, all sugar, all coffee and wine, and all things processed.

If you’ve followed me for long, especially on Instagram, you may remember that Dean and I did the Daniel Fast last year for the very first time. It was a good experience for both of us (not easy, but still good), and we both saw physical and spiritual benefits during that time. In fact, there are things that we took away from the fast that we continue to incorporate into our everyday lives, even now. Dean drinks less coffee, and I gave up sweetening my coffee and cut back even further on meat and dairy.

Ultimately, we ended that fast knowing that it was something we would like to do each year, and so, here we are.

This year, we each have specific physical and spiritual focuses that have been on our hearts and minds lately, and when this presented itself again, it made sense to do it.

Another thing I’ve been thinking about lately is the transition from winter into spring. Each winter, I slow down, pull inward, and focus on nourishing my body in different ways. I think about what I’ve learned from the past year and what things I want to bring with me into the coming year. As spring comes along, I feel myself becoming more and more ready to shed the heavier things of winter and to replace them with the lighter things of spring. I’m ready to create goals for the year, to come out of my winter cocoon, and to grow and bloom.

Doing this fast, at this time, feels like a great way to help me with that transition. So for the next 21 days, we’ll be taking time to give up some pleasures in life in order to focus more fully on some other things that matter to us. I’m excited to see where this journey will lead and what pieces of it we will continue to implement even after the fasting period is over.

And if you think of me at any point during the next 21 days, all positive thoughts, kind words and messages, and prayers would be much appreciated during this time.