I am giving up people-pleasing for Lent. God has given me plenty of opportunities to observe this behavior since Ash Wednesday. Now I'm working on changing the behavior. One thing I've decided is that if I want to say something only to please someone else, I need to say the opposite, which is what I really need to say. I've put a stop valve on my true thoughts, which originate from God, for too long. I've asked God to remove the people-pleasing, that means I have to do the footwork. Darn!

Giving up meat on Fridays means I'm obsessed with hamburgers, chicken, and lunch meat until I can eat them on Saturday. And I'm not even a big meat eater! But I just wolfed down several pieces of ham and salami (thank God they were sliced thin).

OK, I also gave up potato chips. Since then, I've been having dreams about the crisp, oily, salty delicacies that satisfy my snacking craving.

My Lenten goal to increase prayer, including family prayer time, has been very satisfying. This fills up where the sacrifices left off.

Take my survey or drop me a comment about what you are doing for Lent. Is it helping you grow closer to God?