when have you ever denied YOURSELF?

 Since we're all flawed and broken, I've chosen to err in giving people too much grace rather than too little.
"For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you--and even more." Jesus Mark 4:24

Ash Wednesday is one day away. Lent. A time for reflection, for sacrifice, for denial of self. So many folks, when asked what they are giving up for Lent, invariably say, "chocolates," or "sweets." But Lent is more than just denying yourself a treat. Matthew 16:24 says, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

Hmmm...deny your VERY SELF!

Deny yourself comfort. Instead, look to helping the poor, the downtrodden, the ones that society calls "misfits." The ones we turn our noses up at. The ones we tend to want to ignore. You know who they are. And they don't have to be homeless beggars, either. Who in your family have you turned away from...and for what reason? 

I see food shelf donation bins in so many places. It warms my heart to see donations in them. But go one step farther...deny yourself good meals for a few days. Eat instead only what a few dollars will buy you for a week. You'll find that it doesn't go far and you'll have to resort to canned soups, cheap macaroni and maybe some ramen noodles. Yet this is how many families SURVIVE. Daily! Stark reality time, isn't it?
 
Deny yourself that brand new sweater...that gadget you just had to buy because you saw it on TV. Instead, take the money that would have gone to that and give it to the poor. Deny yourself hateful words meant to harm another and instead speak of love. Deny yourself hateful thoughts, hateful actions...build one another up!

To take up one's cross means that even though we follow Christ, our paths still won't be easy, as his Apostles found out. It means being the one who is cast out of society because you speak truth. It can mean being unpopular. But who really needs popularity anyway....morals and ethics are hard to come by...be the example, even when others mock you. 
Matthew 5:11: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."
Nobody said that Lent would be easy. But it most definitely IS worth it.