Scott Fillmer

Today is Ash Wednesday on the Christian calendar and popular belief around the Internet seems to mark this as a Catholic observation, but it really has nothing to do with Catholicism other than the fact that many Catholics observe Ash Wednesday and Lent.  Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, which is 46 days before Easter (40 days if you do not include Sunday’s), and typically the ritual is to give up something for Lent.  The common trend online as of late seems to be for high profile online personalities to give up their blogs, twitter, facebook, and whatever online area that takes up their time.

Depending on your situation and circumstances this may be a good thing if and when it is done for the right reasons, but I suddenly got a pressing feeling that because they did this, others should follow.  As I read the details of each individual’s reasons I do understand why each person who chose this for their online life, but what if the online world has now become a way of life, and not something that distracts from life?  To take it a step farther.  A sin in one person’s life is not necessarily a sin in another person’s life.  So where someone may be consumed by their online lifestyle, and that lifestyle leads them away from the Lord, others may thrive in that area and be brought even closer through those relationships and interactions.

So if we, you, me find it necessary to give up something for Lent, why not just do it instead of making an issue out of giving up whatever it is.  If it is something you can give up so you can focus that time on the Lord, great, but if you are giving up something for Lent because it is Lent for Lent’s sake, have a Snickers while watching Amercian Idol and forget about it.