What Are You Giving Up For Lent?

February 26, 2009 Posted in HaHa

I live with 7 girls. Half of us are Jewish and half of us are not. In efforts to bond even more than we already do, we all take part in each others’ holidays. My non Jewish roommates fast with us on Yom Kippur and we all partake in the annual Easter Egg Hunt.

By Lauren

Last year we decided to take it one step further and we all decided to give something up for Lent. We set a rule that we all needed to give up something very near and dear to our hearts. One roommate gave up sprinkles (she would eat them with a spoon), one gave up eating after 10pm (that bitch lost 10 pounds), and I decided to give up using the word “pussy” (I have no idea why I use it so often).

One of our neighbors came by at the beginning of Lent and asked what we had all given up. I proudly exclaimed, “I gave up pussy for lent!”

Yeah, awkward. Not to mention the fact that I was two days in and had already failed.

This year I am going to do it right – I have become quite obsessed with cupcakes lately, so I am gonna give those puppies up. Hopefully I’ll be more successful than last year.

What are you giving up for Lent?

1725317 CommentsWhat+Are+You+Giving+Up+For+Lent%3F2009-02-26+16%3A39%3A57Lauren+-+University+of+Michigan on "What Are You Giving Up For Lent?"

jen says:
Thu, 26th Feb 20097:13 am

my friend and i gave up meat (the food kind hahaaa)

Megan says:
Thu, 26th Feb 20097:25 am

I am giving up drinking water out of water bottles. I mean its absolutely awful for the enviroment and I dont really have a good excuse.. I mean I have a brita water filter and enough things to carry water in. So hopefully I will be able to not use them through lent and then continue on after

Calrose says:
Thu, 26th Feb 20099:09 am

Giving up donuts-as long as possible anyways. The cafeteria on campus has the BEST ones. Its so hard to resist, but the 200+ calories I save every day is worth it!

Maria says:
Thu, 26th Feb 20099:13 am

I gave up swearing… Two days in, and I already dropped the f-bomb. Twice. But I'm not giving up on giving it up!

LeesePiece says:
Thu, 26th Feb 20099:15 am

I don't really get the point of giving up little things like candy or fast food for Lent. I haven't been to church since I was little, but isn't the point of giving up something for Lent to understand how it feels to sacrifice, like Jesus did? When you're giving up candy or what not it seems kind of selfish to do something so easy. Why not stop using your car or something that will actually effect your daily life? Coming from a non-Christian, Lent has always confused me. I'm not trying to be offensive or demeaning, I just don't understand the point.

Sophie says:
Thu, 26th Feb 200910:30 am

That cupcake in that picture looks SO good.

Jess says:
Thu, 26th Feb 200911:05 am

Leese, I agree with you and I am a Christian. It's fun to see if you can how long you can go without facebook or something, but I don't think god cares about you wasting your time in another way haha. Just saying.

I like the water bottle idea!

Kay says:
Thu, 26th Feb 200911:29 am

I'm giving up swearing as well.

The tradition in my family is to give up some major food item/group so as to stimulate the whole Jesus-esque experience, but I'm ill this year and can't.

Andy says:
Thu, 26th Feb 20091:10 pm

Lent is about sacrifice, any way you choose to express your sacrifice is up to you. No one is telling you to give up something huge so it impacts you so greatly, youll be changed forever, but rather something small that when you reach for it/say it throughout the day or week, you'll remember why you gave it up in the first place.

Every day at 3 oclock everyone in my office goes to get candy… Im talking sour watermelons and peanut butter m&ms. So this year I've given up candy… there are 1000 better things to reach for during the 3oclock slump.

Shanda says:
Thu, 26th Feb 20092:04 pm

I'm a Catholic, not an exceptional one, but I try.

Per Ash Wednesday services last night, the point of giving something up is not only about sacrifice, but also to use that time that you previously filled with other activities (TV, computer, eating, etc) to spend time with family or in reflection with God. There are 3 main practices of the Lenten season: Prayer, Fasting (giving something up), and Almsgiving (service to others). It's meant to be a very special 40 days for us and culminates with the holy week of Easter where we celebrate Jesus fullfilling prophecy and rising from the dead.

All in all I think its a pretty cool concept. Restraining from something really makes you see the value or lack there of in that thing.

Wow, my catholic mother would be really proud of me right now

Beth says:
Thu, 26th Feb 20095:21 pm

Soda….I'm hoping to give it up even after 40 days.

Jacks says:
Thu, 26th Feb 20096:11 pm

Chocolate AND Soda.

LeesePiece says:
Thu, 26th Feb 20096:30 pm

Thanks, Andy and Shanda, that makes so much more sense to me!!

Angela says:
Thu, 26th Feb 20098:32 pm

no random hookups for the next 40 days

pruthy says:
Mon, 2nd Mar 200911:07 am

i gave up coffee and with 830 classes every morning it sucks! but i remember everytime i wanna get that 24 ounce mocha latte that i'm doing it for a good reason. it's really difficult for me and it does affect my daily life…considering the fact i've been having withdrawal symptoms ever since ash wednesday.

plus i know lots of people who gave up facebook for lent and idk about you guys but that's pretty major for me.

geeeeee. says:
Sun, 15th Mar 20095:33 am

soda, sweets, chocolate, eating after 9pm… etc… all of which are, by the way, failed.

Me says:
Thu, 9th Apr 20096:46 pm

I'm giving up meat/dairy products!!!

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