LENT : Fasting and Consecration

Lent is here. No I am not catholic, but my in-laws are. During my mission I started participating in Lent, as a way to prepare for the Easter season. My mission president was so kind and helped explain the difference between fasting, and consecrating. It is a lesson that to this day I will never forget, and I am starting to see the Catholics realize themselves.

Law of the Fast
- For those who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we do this once a month. Or we do it on special occasions when we are pleading our case to Heavenly Father, it is a time of prayer and meditation. It is a great and a holy time. To me, and I can be wrong, and if I am please go ahead and inform me, fasting gives us a chance to repent. It is not repenting, but as we place physical animals on the alter to be sacrificed in our stead, we put tangible things; food, water, or chocolate, and alcohol or Catholics, aside for a certain time.This year for Lent Catholics are being encouraged to give something up each day for 40 days, and donate it at the end of Lent to a charity or homeless shelter. When we fast we abstain from those things. We have a chance to be reminded of what the purpose of our fasting through physical reminders; stomach pains, thirst, cravings. But we continue on to as a show of faith to God that He is more important than physical needs. Fasting builds great faith.

But, there is a higher law, just as the Law of Moses has a higher law, and the Priesthood of Aaron has a higher Priesthood, so does this law of fasting, it is called the law of consecration.

The law of consecration 
- In short is the giving of all of your time, talents, and energy to the building of the kingdom of God. This is Christ asking us to put not an animal upon the alter, but our hearts upon the alter to change who we are and come unto him. Time, talents, and energy, so what does that look like on a daily basis. The Pope said, " We live in an atmosphere polluted by too much verbal violence, too many offensive and harmful words, which are amplified by the internet... today, people insult each other as if they were saying good day". He is not asking you to sacrifice something, you will not feel physical pains by not insulting someone, instead you will have the opportunity to come closer to God and feel more of his love in your life and for your brothers and sisters. When we consecrate ourselves, our time, our energy we change from hearts that are stony to  to hearts made from flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)

So what am I doing this Lent? Well my therapist kinda laid it out for me. It's time to bring Ashley back. I have let depression have it's day, so I am sacrificing all my extra sleep (sometimes I get like 12 hours) to go towards walking and yoga and my version of a juice cleanse, and I am refocusing my desire to understand God's will for me through scriptures, prayer, and meditation. I don't mean for this to take 2 hours, but 30 min. Start small. Somewhere I can keep it up, God loves you, and what you can offer is what he wants you to do.


So, the yoga I am going to do?
-I'm starting at the beginning because of how badly I hurt my back a few months ago. I am at the beginning, always a beginner. So you can follow along, with me.

What cleanse? Will it be ultra hard?
- No. Here is my rules

- no sugar, alcohol sugars and natural sugars are OK (don't ask why I honestly don't know)
- eat what you would like at dinner time, but small amounts
- have all the DIET drink you would like
- drink 1 cleansing Tea per day
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