Ntonhle Dlamini

Who were you before the world told you who to be?

Why do you do the things you do?

What is about your coping mechanisms that you find so comforting?

Is God not the God of comfort?

(2 Corinthians 1 v 3)

What separates a fast from a diet is meditation and introspection.

Why do I do the things I do.

The premise of Lent is to prepare for Good Friday through prayer, fasting and charity.

We do this by giving up the things we love.

How we go about Lent is entirely an individual matter, you can make it as difficult as you choose to, some do a total fast and others a partial one.

It all depends on your goals and it should be based on a reasonable assessment of what you are capable of with God’s help.

The food items for me personally have been thr easiest part to give up, and I knew they would be.

Which is why I added to the standard, no mest policy.

You may not know this about me but I spent 4 years of my life as a vegetarian so really it’s somewhat of a breeze.

Its the unproductive habits and the unhealthy coping mechanisms where I’m really feeling it.

From my mandatory morning coffee, that I “absolutely cannot live without” to the mindless scrolling on socials after work and everything in between.

It was quite a huge adjustment but it’s freed up so much time.

The decaf life has made me less panicky and anxious.

With all this extra time I’ve been forced to introspect.

I’m realizing that apart from Jesus there’s absolutely nothing and no one that I cannot live without and I’m rediscovering old passions and hobbies,it’s like the more time I spend with Jesus the more I return to my factory settings, my true, authentic self

I an rooted and grounded in Him, embracing all aspect of myself, unapologetically.

Every year Lent to symbolizes a different theme, this year I am unbecoming to become.

Perfectly aligned with the autumn season we find ourselves in here in the south.

Autumn like Lent, shows us that even endings can be beautiful.

As we symbolically make our way to the cross,may we put to death all that was never ours to carry in the first place and be raised to life in and through Jesus on resurrection Sunday.

Grace and peace,