Lent is OVER!

Well, I survived 6 weeks without facebook. It was actually not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Honestly for most of it I didn't even notice. What I did notice was that I had a lot more free time, I read a lot more, and I got more done at work during planning time. Go figure. :) I did return to facebook today and even though it was awesome to take a break, I don't think I'll be getting rid of it completely anytime soon. I love staying in touch with people through it and seeing what everyone is up to! I'm glad to be back Facebook....but it's always nice to take a break from you every once in a while.

Shopping was a little bit harder to let go than facebook, but ultimately it was also very rewarding. I have not gone shopping yet, but I'm sure I will sometime this week. It was eye-opening to see how I was tempted to shop when I had free time or was bored. Plus, I saved more money, gave more money away and got rid of a lot of stuff without replacing it with more stuff. Having this fast from shopping helped me see the importance of thinking about what I spend my money on. I hope to continue this mindset as I go into stores asking myself: Do I really need this? or Can I get rid of something to replace this with?

While I was home visiting my parents this weekend, I was going through my old room and helping my mom get rid of things around her house. Fasting from facebook and shopping made me think about the "clutter" in my life both literally and figuratively. Every day I desire to have a more "simple" life that is focused on Jesus and not on "things." This Lenten season reaffirmed this desire and I hope it continues to grow.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! He is RISEN! :)