I’m doing something a little different for lent this
year. I’m not giving up chocolate or
candy or coke. Yet I may find myself
eating these things very rarely in the next couple months.
Why? Because I’m
giving up my $40 plus-a-week grocery bill and all the luxuries that it entails. Cutting my food purchases down to $20 a week,
I hope to develop an appreciation and thankfulness for the simple feeling of
having a full belly.
See, I have been a slave to tasty food for as long as I can
remember. While it certainly isn’t a sin
to enjoy food, I depend on it for my happiness waaaaaay too much. And because the US of A has bountiful food
options and I have been blessed with the resources to acquire them, I often
take for granted the expensive groceries I buy and justify their purchase as necessary
objects to “get me through the week.”
How can I live without them?
Maybe I will live with more awareness of hunger, more
empathy towards the poor and needy, more enjoyment on the rare occasions when I
experience flavorful food.
Maybe I will live with less gluttony, less inclination to
mindlessly stuff my face with calories to escape my problems.
Time can only tell. I
have already done my shopping for this week, and the receipt holds the
evidence. This is an “easy” week. I still have lots of food stockpiled from last
week, including Valentine’s Day candy.
Pray for my sanity as a start this journey! It will not be easy for a food-lover like me.
Shopping List Week 1
1 lb black beans
1 lb red beans
1 bunch of spinach
6 apples
1 bunch of bananas
2 lb whole grain rice
1 orange pepper
1 gallon milk
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