The season of Lent, if taken seriously, challenges us to do the hard work of self-assessment. With that comes the even more difficult task of creating a new self (or, at least, improved versions of the old one), the intricate endeavor of following new roads despite the fact that we have grown used to and comfortable with the ones we travel now. That’s part of what “designated fasting” (“What are you giving up for Lent?”) is about. We identify something that may not be entirely helpful to us – we eliminate it for forty days – and we put something of greater value in its place. It is a dramatic change.
One of our predictable pitfalls is that when we make a significant change, we want to see a significant result. And we don’t want to wait long for that to happen. It’s like the old joke: “I want patience, and I want it now!” However, life changes rarely occur “now.” They, instead, take place over the course of a journey, step-by-step, day-by-day, hard decision by hard decision.
Korin Miller, a well known health and lifestyle journalist, wrote recently in Verywell Health about a popular online phenomenon called “Natural Mounjaro.” Someone has come up with a four-ingredient concoction that you drink every morning, and they claim it will result in the same amount of dramatic weight loss sometimes associated with the expensive prescription drug, Tirzepatide (Mounjaro). They also claim the pounds will begin to drop almost from the very first day. The ingredients are water, honey, lemon, and ginger. Ms. Miller consulted with numerous physicians and nutritionists from a variety of acclaimed medical schools, all of whom said the drink will not hurt you. We need to be hydrated (most folks don’t drink enough water). Honey can satisfy a craving for sweets (though must be used in moderation since it, also, contains sugar). Ginger has properties that assist digestion and even help calm some GI issues. And, lemon provides vitamin C. As such, the morning drink is not harmful and could prove somewhat helpful. But, to a person, every medical authority said the drink will not take the pounds off, quickly or otherwise. Miller quoted Samantha Snashall of Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center who said that “sustainable weight loss requires consistent effort, discipline, and a comprehensive approach to health.” (Verywell Health, January 16, 2025) What a disappointment (especially as I was planning a trip to the grocery store to pick up bottled water, honey, lemons, and ginger). To achieve my goal, said Ms. Snashall, “requires consistent effort, discipline, and a comprehensive approach.” Said another way: I have to keep putting in my daily number of steps and keep drinking my morning protein shakes instead of fried eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Plus, significant change in any arena of your existence inevitably involves a “consistent effort.” It has to be a step-by-step, day-by-day, hard decision by hard decision alteration in lifestyle. Apparently there are no quick fixes. I have to stay on a chosen path to reach a desired destination. For example:
- Changing from cynicism to positivity is something that doesn’t occur in one huge magic moment. It is, instead, the result of deliberately choosing how to view things, one event or one person at a time, step-by-step, day-by-day.
- Changing from judgmentalism and spitefulness to kindness doesn’t happen all at once, either. It is a matter of individual choices of what to say or leave unsaid, what to post or refrain from posting, how to respond when in a specific moment I am not treated fairly, what to do when I observe human need, occasion-by-occasion, day-by-day.
- Changing myself from a minion or a programmed automaton into a discerning human being doesn’t happen simply because I’m tired of being emotionally manipulated. It occurs, instead, when every morning I decide I will seek a deeper sense of history, I will quit assuming my favorite news source always feeds me accurate information, or my favorite politicians are always honest and never self-serving. Rather, I will think for myself. I will listen to others who think differently than I do in order to at least consider the possibility that Truth is broader than I want it to be. I will open my mind and create my own worldview, topic-by-topic, day-by-day.
- Changing from boredom to happiness doesn’t occur in one fell swoop. Instead, we find happiness only by giving it away – only by doing things that make life more livable, more bearable, and once in a while even more wonderful, for others. In the end, a deepened sense of meaning (which is what joy, or “pure happiness,” is) comes by consistently seeking to contribute value to life opportunity-by-opportunity, day-by-day.
What are you giving up for Lent? And, what are you taking on? If we wrestle with those questions seriously and thoughtfully, they can have life-changing results. But, the results don’t come quickly or easily. That’s one reason we call Lent a “season” rather than a “moment.” Sustainable changes in life, said Ms. Snashall, require “consistent effort, discipline, and a comprehensive approach.” Step-by-step. Day-by-day.