Lent Day 17, Friday, Mar 5, 2021

“No Caffeine for 24-hours.”

You should know we are Christians by our love, but today, you will know us by our uncontrollable shakes, intense headaches, and obsession with the time, waiting for the 24-hour clock to expire. Why? Because today, those of us who thrive on coffee, tea, and Mountain Dew (the author), will be giving up caffeine for 24-hours.

If you’re not participating in these Lenten challenges, you’re probably laughing as you take another sip from your favorite coffee cup. You should be ashamed of yourself for taking pleasure in the suffering of others. Yes, I kinda’ think that God has a special place reserved for those who take delight in my pain, even if it is self-inflicted.

Making sacrifices for Lent is no easy task. However, for those of us participating in these daily Challenges, we’ve probably already seen multiple places of God’s blessing that have arisen from our efforts. If you’re sitting on the sidelines watching all this, consider this as you take another sip from your cup: God loves you just as much as God loves us. Yes, God doesn’t love us more because of our self-inflicted pain. Instead, God is loving you right where you are, and neither you nor I can mess that up. However, it might be a nice gesture to try to accomplish something for God, no matter what it is.

Today, consider giving up caffeine for 24-hours. This will be just one small expression of thanks for the LORD who doesn’t judge us on what we deserve. We can do this one. No excuses.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2-3, NIV)