Lent 2018
Name: Jonny Chung
Lenten Commitment: Give up red meat. [Beef & Pork]
When I agreed to kick off this year’s Lent reflections, I took a deep look into what might be preventing me from a more fruitful relationship with God. And… the only thing that came to mind was giving up beef and pork. And I thought about just doing it to get healthier and lose some weight, but I know that Lent is not about becoming a better person. So I decided to look for something else to do.
But after I got gout this past weekend, I really started taking a deeper look at my life. Over the past few years, my mom and my sister have consistently berated me about my eating habits. They both wanted me to eat much less than I usually do and I was not having it.
My mind flashed between my many arguments about with them and my gout and I accepted that my diet was not the healthiest and that what had caused both is my stubbornness to change. So I decided to give up red meat as a first step to change my stubbornness. I hope that this will help me be more humble and more willing to listen to what the people in my life say and what Jesus wants to say to me.
I expect the listening part to be the most challenging part for me, especially with my field of work, since my whole job revolves around advocating for my students, so I hope and pray that I will work with others and not let my frustrations get the best of me. And as I avoid beef and pork, I want to keep in mind why I gave them up in the first place so that I do not lose track of what is really important.
And while I do not know what to expect from this year’s Lent, I do expect to learn more about Jesus: what He has done for me in my life and how I can rely on Him with everything even trying to be more healthy and less stubborn with my life. For everyone else who is still on the fence about Lent, my only words for you are embrace change, be willing to make changes in your life in order to strengthen your relationship with Jesus.
This post is a part of DSYG’s Lent Reflections series meant to educate and inspire readers on the season of Lent and its value in any christian’s relationship with Christ. For more information on this series, click here.
To read more posts in this year’s series, click here.
Dongsan Youth Group 