Today Christians around the world celebrate the beginning of Lent. The period of Lent commemorates the forty days Jesus spent in the desert before he began his public ministry. During this time period Jesus fasted and it was also a time of testing and preparedness for him. Today, Christians take this time to pray, self-reflect, repent, and prepare for the coming of Easter. Christians also fast or make sacrifices to give up things in honor of this tradition. As a child I remember giving up candy and we were not allowed to eat meat on Fridays. We also tried to be extra good during this time period and were mindful of the sacrifices Jesus made while being tempted in the desert.

As I reflected upon all this, I began to think of the choices and sacrifices that Jesus made, and the example he set for all people. Giving up little things like candy and meat seem so small in comparison. What if I or we choose to be better people all around – giving up negative thoughts or words by choosing positive thoughts and kind words. What if we give up judging others and try to be more understanding. We need to let go of our egos and become more humble human beings. These are some of the things I am going to give up for Lent and hope to continue with after forty days. Even if you are not a Christian these are things we can all choose to do. At the end of the day it’s all about the choices we make in life… so choose wisely.