It's a question that's intrigued me for years. It's also been a real problem for me. There's not that much in the manner of things that I consume that I can realistically 'give up for Lent'. The common thing is to give up some favourite type of food, but I don't eat all that much and there aren't 'regular' things that I eat and particularly enjoy that I can realistically give up. For example, I could give up chocolate - but I don't eat it all that often, so it would hardly make much of an impact in my life.
Giving something up for Lent is supposed to enhance some form of virtue in oneself. It's usually the sacrifice of something physical leading to a form of 'self mortification', a form of 'death' in a sense of something worldly and bodily - temporarily of course - that perhaps allows us to empathise a little with the sufferings that Christ allowed himself to experience and hopefully to draw a little closer to Him...
But there is more than one way to give something up. For someone racking their brains for something to do for Lent, how about giving up a bad or selfish habit - or better yet, replacing it with a good and virtuous one?
A couple of years ago, I gave up skipping breakfast. Now at first glance that seems like I'm adding something, not taking it away. But this meant I had to have more willpower. I had to get up earlier before leaving for work where previously I'd rolled out of bed five minutes before the deadline to catch the train and breakfast was simply not an option. And my health suffered as a result of my laziness. So instead I decided to cut out that laziness and eat something to set me up for the day instead. I replaced a bad habit with a good one, and my health improved. It was hard, not dozing comfortably in bed for as long as I could (I like my bed!) but I improved my willpower and I was better for it: physically and spiritually.
This year, my circumstances being different - and my habit now being to eat breakfast! - I have decided that I'm going to give up oversleeping. I'm going to be strict with myself and not stay up all night working and as a result miss half the daylight. It'll be difficult - my body clock rebels at the thought of going to bed before midnight and frequently I'm simply not tired before 5am, but I intend to do this and start living in the daylight for a change!
I'm going to give up a bad habit this coming Lent. And, with luck, I'll replace it with a new and better one. There has to be some virtue in that...
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