hello you beautiful people you! happy lent!

since today is the first day of the new lenten season i figured what better way to start than the topic of sacrifice and the many forms it can take. not only will i discuss sacrifice in relation to our goals, but i further discuss the sacrifices we make in regards to relationships and even to ourselves.

when it comes to goals it is safe to say that in order to accomplish them some sacrifices will have to be made. for me this blog alone has come with some sacrifices - the biggest one being time. each week i set aside monday evening to type out the bulk of my blog. it does not stop there though. more time is set aside on Wednesday for revision and uploading and any additional updates to my website involve even more time which mean there are occasions i miss out on other events. having made so much progress in these past weeks has proven that sometimes you have to sacrifice one thing to see outcomes in another. was it worth it? indeed. time is not the only thing i must sacrifice when it comes to my website though. i also sacrifice my privacy and while it may not be as detailed as my home address and social security number having a blog is often quite vulnerable because it is something so personal to your heart. i share quite a bit with you all though because it is powerful being raw and real. i have laid out many things that are not completely easy to admit or talk about, but would i change some of my uncomfortability to keep more to myself??? not at all. how could i when have had people who thank me for sharing those raw moments that helped them throughout a time or simply was a gentle reminder to them? i’m beyond blessed to see god working not only in me to be a better individual, but through me to share his love with others. achieving our goals is no easy task, and they will take a lot of hard work, but we are meant for great things and those goals you have always dreamed of are achievable (that is unless it is completely random like you wanting to become unicorn then i am sorry to say the dream ends here). for real though these goals we have discussed for weeks now are achievable and i hope you go out there and get them; taking the necessary sacrifices to do so.

goals are not the only thing that require sacrifice. all forms of relationships require sacrifices. sometimes these sacrifices may come when we let the other person choose the movie or what activity to partake in for the day. other times it might be a little harder such as apologizing when someone has wronged you. yep, you read correctly apologizing when they have wronged you. that might seem off, but it should all be taken in the matter of context. sacrificing pride of being right is important when maintaining healthy relationships. i mean really think about it are most arguments worth losing a friend or loved one over? most times no. pride does us no good and as Elsa put it just let it go.

i get it though, loving unconditionally as god does is a tough job and especially when it is often easier to see the negative traits in someone. when you stop and find the positive in people it is so much easier to love one another. which brings me to a bible verse i love:

“if you love those who love you, what reward will you get? are not even the tax collectors doing that? and if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? do not even pagans do that? be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” - matthew 5: 46-48

because loving someone is not always easy. we far too often get the idea that love is meant to be an almost carelessly easy thing, but it is far from it. loving someone takes work and is a choice you choose to make everyday. this means, yep, you said it making sacrifices from time to time.

sacrifices also come from within. sometimes we sacrifice our own negative traits, behaviors, and habits that keep us from becoming the individual we were created to be. whether you celebrate lent or not these next 46 days come with sacrificing things that hold you back (and i mean actually hold you back). i remember being in elementary school and thinking oh i’ll give up candy or something silly that i barely ate to begin with. it was not even in the least a problem to myself nor to my relationship with god. every person is not going to share in the same sacrifices. what one person struggles with another might have no problem with. so elementary school me was taking the easy route that required no real work, but that also meant i wasn’t working to better myself or growing closer to god. only recently, as in a couple years ago, did i really start taking lent seriously by working daily on myself. kind of embarrassing, like what kind of catholic am i right? i say this because it is a common misconception about being religious (it goes across the board for all different religions and practices) is that if you are religious you are somehow better than others or you have life figured out more. even some religious people believe this but i want to make it clear that religion and religious people are not, nor ever will be “better.” we are still imperfect human beings, meaning we make mistakes just like everyone else.

2 years ago when i decided to give this lent thing a real go i decided to give up social media because that was something that i allowed myself to waste a lot of time on. i would spend hours aimlessly on my phone whether that was on instagram or Facebook, sometimes even watching random YouTube videos one after the other. during much of my time i would catch myself thinking what really am i looking at, i’m not even interested in it (not that i have boring friends, but that i was bored scrolling seeing what everyone else was up to and not making any progress in the things i wanted to do). not only did a detox from social media help me to procrastinate less, i got my homework done faster, and had more time for friends and relaxing. the beginning felt strange, but before i knew it giving up my social media and the feeling that i always had to keep up to date on what everyone else was up to was completely freeing. after awhile i did not even care what i was missing. life was too good to worry. during that time i even traveled internationally with a friend for the first time. we adventured to Costa Rica and it was probably the best trip i have been on to this day. being off of social media meant i wasn’t hooked to my phone. i mean i still took a lot of photos, but i wasn't concerned with updating my followers/friends on my whereabouts. i was truly so present and it was definitely a time i felt god in my life and saw just how beautiful life is and should feel.

when we make sacrifices we become closer to god.

religious or not i highly suggest finding something in your life that is holding you back whether that is a social media detox or something else that you struggle with. then take what is stopping you and sacrifice it for 46 days. additionally, i challenge you to add something to your schedule and what more perfect then adding something to help you achieve those goals you already have dreamed of, those goals we talked about at the very beginning of the year. wanting a healthy body and mind? cut out junk food and add 5 minutes of daily reflection before starting each day. do what you gotta do to be the best you! whatever is stopping you, you are fully capable of overcoming. i believe in you and am cheering you on.