In discussing this Lenten season with my two elementary-age daughters tonight, my eldest declared she would give up sweets for the length of Lent, starting tomorrow.
“Tomorrow? Why tomorrow? Why not begin today?” I asked, thinking it is Ash Wednesday, the official starting point of Lent.
“Because it was someone’s birthday today and we had birthday treats in school,” she replied, somewhat sheepishly.
I asked her how giving up sweets would bring her into a closer relationship with God. She thought on this a while before responding, “Mom, it’s not about giving something up for Lent that brings you closer to God, it’s about adding something.”
She then proceeded to tell me how she was going to spend daily time with God for the Lenten season. At eight, she is adding a significant step and subtracting a lesser one.
