Year+ Sabbatical is Over-Thank You Lent

I have been taking a blogging sabbatical now for over a year. I love blogging, I just got so overwhelmed. I am a people please-er and I didn't have time to visit everyone's blog and read and comment. I also didn't have time to make sure I always had a blog up, I made it more than it needed to be and therefore it became a chore. So, I am back, please don't be offended if I don't always post and if I don't always comment and thank you for your comment. I really do appreciate it! Trust me, I am encouragement driven! I eat those comments right up!

Now, after reading Ann Voskamp's blog entry on Lent I was excited! I wanted to be a part of it! I didn't want to miss out on God's blessing!

So next came the prayer, "What do you want me to give up?" The answer was very quick, my mask. Just typing that sentence made me stop in my tracks and my cheeks turn red. It is so so scary for me to be transparent. I like my mask, it's comfortable and easy, it keeps everyone happy, and it rarely scares me. It also keeps me from God. It keeps me from blessing others and causes me to miss out on God's blessing!

Lent-for me-a mask lost.

This will cause me to give more, serve more, love more, and I know it will cause me to receive more.

A mask gone-my kitchen floor is disgusting. Today Molly had been digging before I brought her in and with all the rain we've gotten this means my kitchen floor is disgusting! I also have mud on my very white new running shoes and on my "new to me" khakis. I wore it all anyway, the mask (perceived perfection) is coming off!

To Do Today:

• Clean my nasty downstairs floors-sweep & mop

• Load the car with the huge pile that was our purging weekend (this will clean up our porch so we don't look like hoarders)

• Bake a loaf of bread (I stink at this, and I am a good cook and baker! I have only used my bread machine twice now, but I will master this!)
• Clean bathrooms (yep, it's been a couple weeks, this is supposed to be a weekly task)
  

Ok, now to hit "Publish Post", can I really take that mask fully off and leave it off? The cheeks are reddening, the breathing quickened. "Lord, this is my lent sacrifice, you know more than anyone what a sacrifice this is."