What Would Jesus Cut?

Isn't this an interesting image! It's from the Sojourners weekly email that I receive. The reflection in the email is about a Fast that Sojourners is holding during Lent to help people consider what Jesus' life was all about.

I've been thinking about my own fast during Lent. You may remember that I gave up sweets. It's not a true fast, but I'm fasting from something during these weeks. I actually thought about giving up wearing earrings, too. When I told a friend that, she said, "well that doesn't sound very hard!" That got me to thinking. Is Lent suppossed to be hard? I suppose that is part of it. Jesus' time in the wilderness must've been difficult - giving up so much, not just food, but also companionship, the comforts of home. But the difficulty wasn't the purpose. The purpose was that he be with God, that in his hunger, he remember that God will provide. Fasting should remind us of our true abundance. To help us turn to God and to let go of what distracts us from God - which may or may not be the actual thing we're fasting from.

I thought that giving up wearing earrings would help me see my face and not just the accessories when I looked in the mirror. It would help me question what I really need. Instead of putting on earrings as I look in the mirror, I could see myself - the true me, the child of God who is beloved.
"What Would Jesus Cut?" is a thought-provoking campaign, meant to inspire "Prayer, Fasting, and Action in response to Congress' proposed budget cuts targeting vulnerable people in the U.S. and around the world." I think it's also a thought-provoking message that can help us consider, in our living, what we really need. What can we cut out to help us live more fully with God, as children of God in this world.