Guest blog: Fat Tuesday

I got a text from a friend yesterday who had an idea for the blog. I asked if they would be willing to write it and got a "yes." And so, I'm very excited to bring to you the first ever Guest Blog written exclusively for this site!!  Please comment and leave your thoughts below.

Note: The writer prefers to stay anonymous. But if this goes viral and the people demand it, we'll see if we can reveal the author.  Just kidding.  Maybe.

Fat Tuesday

So during lunch today (Tuesday) an acquaintance mentioned Fat Tuesday. Her explanation of Fat Tuesday intrigued me – a Christian practice of over eating in anticipation of Ash Wednesday, where then Christians abstain from guilty food and drink pleasures through the Lenten season. Of course this is a slightly paraphrased version, but the core point is still there. Do what you want today because you'll be good tomorrow. This caused me to ponder – do nonbelievers look at Fat Tuesday as a Christian practice? Oh my. Where did that train derail? A long time ago I'm sure, but that is not the point I'm sharing today.

How pleasing must it be for Jesus as we lead up to Easter that His people would remember Him and devote themselves to pray by giving up something, such as a favorite food. And by favorite food, I'm not referring to the “I need to lose 5 pounds, so I'll give up chocolate” favorite food. I'm referring to abstaining that is a genuine heart felt test of faith. Yet, how unfortunate does it seem that a secular/pagan holiday is now so closely associated with the Christian religion that some now view it as part of a larger piece of the Easter season? Keep the message of Good Friday and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross at the forefront of your thoughts, prayers, and actions, showing others that faith in Him does not put you in a cycle of Fat Tuesdays and Ash Wednesdays, but rather compels you to grace, forgiveness, and kindness.