source: http://www.openbible.info/blog/2009/02/top-100-things-twitterers-are-giving-up-for-lent/
In two weeks, Pastor Chris will be talking about the idea of sacrifice, and part of that discussion will revolve around the practice of fasting. I feel it is far to say that in our current American culture, unless our vanity is the motivator, the notion of self denial is foreign one. Yet the Bible is full of examples of fasting, specifically as the practice of denying oneself food, and the tradition of lent is commonly thought of as the season for some sort of fasting. For a number of us, these 40 days will involve self denial in one way or another, and today, I thought it would be interesting to look at the things people choose as the subject of their Lenten fast.
This word cloud has been created from twitter feeds pertaining to Lent fasts, and the larger the word is, the more that people have identified it as an object for fasting. Perhaps it is worth its own reflection to look at the types of things people choose (my personal favorite is “flaky guys”).
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Response: I literally laughed out loud when I first looked at this post. Why? Because FACEBOOK is the largest word out there - it stares you right in the eyes! I laughed because Facebook was what I opted to give up this Lent. So far, absolutely no problem. I haven't even really had the urge. I cut myself off COMPLETELY this year, removing all email notifications that Facebook normally sends me, in the hopes that the thought "out of sight, out of mind" would work wonders for me. So far, it has. Without those nagging little emails flooding my inbox, and without my saved 'Facebook tab' present in my internet browser, I've not thought to check Facebook. No impulse, no desire. It's nice!
Granted, I've been busy lately. I'm not on tour with my college choir, performing in various Oregon locations, so I haven't really had the time to mindlessly sit on Facebook for hours on end. When tour is over and I have more time to relax at home, things might be different.
What's amazing to me about this web of words, however, is how much things have changed throughout the years. Yes, the ever-present temptations of CHOCOLATE and ALCOHOL are listed boldly among the mix, but who would have thought the vast majority of these words would be used in the same sentence as Lent some 10 years ago? 5 years ago? Notice how much social networking, the internet, and technology have changed our ways of life. I'm guilty, too. I'm one of those MANY that opted to give up something like Facebook for Lent. Why? Because these things have become so ingrained in our daily lives. It's almost as if we can't live without them now that we've had a sampling of them. But Lent is about proving we can live without these addictions, living more like Jesus and making sacrifices for the betterment of ourselves. The temptation of those addictions is a reminder of how we need to turn to God. No Facebook. No Twitter. No Social Networking. Just more time for God!
It's amazing how our ideas of religion and technology now intertwine. We're hooked into technology in all parts of our lives...including God. Take this blog I'm following, for example. Who would have thought that a church would be publishing posts everyday online throughout Lent? Who would have thought a church would have a blog, in general? Our society is changing, and our addictions and daily goals reflect those changes.
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