Cheese Curls and Lima Beans
Lent. 40 days leading up to Easter. For many years, I chose something to give up during that time period. I’ve given up chocolate, favorite snack foods, and bad habits. Once, I remember giving up Gibble’s cheese curls and devouring almost an entire bag on Easter morning when I could finally eat them again. I’ve also tried to come up with a way to give up something I didn’t really like, but somehow I don’t think God would approve of my “noble sacrifice” of lima beans. A few years ago, though, someone introduced me to a new idea; rather than giving something up, why not take on a new discipline? If the point is to use these 40 days to focus on Jesus’ sacrifice and the fact that we don’t really deserve it, instead of depriving ourselves of something, why not do something that makes us more like Him? I know folks who do all kinds of neat things, like sending a card to someone each day or praying for a specific person each day and then contacting them to let them know. This year, I wanted to get Noah involved too, so we came up with the idea of 40 Days of Kindness. I explained to him that Easter was 40 days away, and had him count to 40 using his fingers and toes plus mine. Then I told him that each day we’re going to do something nice for someone else to make them happy. I put little slips of paper into a pill container each week and every day he pulls one out and does what’s written on it. We have a ton of friends and family members with birthdays in March, so more than one day has been spent making a card, a gift, or a phone call to wish someone a Happy Birthday.
