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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Chine McDonald

Good morning.

About a year ago, I took my first steps into giving up an almost 20-year addiction to a particular fizzy drink. Since my teenage years, I had drunk gallons of the stuff. I panicked if my supply was running low. I craved it, I began to rely on it as a daily indulgence in the middle of busy days – the crack of the can and the fizz of the pour into a glass, symbolising the familiar and much-craved sounds of companionship and security. I knew I was relying on it far too much and though it seemed a relatively safe thing to be addicted to, my distress at the thought of being without it signified something else – perhaps a fear and anxiety that I hadn’t been able to articulate.

I decided that Lent would be a good place to start, although the thought of 40 days without it was at that point almost too much to bear. I’m glad to say that that fast from my favourite fizzy drink truly broke my addiction and I have pretty much not touched the stuff since. Today marks a week since the first day of Lent, and many of us will have experienced our first few days of fasting from something. Maybe our Lenten sacrifices are going well, maybe not so much. Regardless, Lent affords us an opportunity to stop and think about the things we might be relying on a little too much.

For Christians, it’s a chance to refocus on Christ and notice those things we rely on other than him. I’ve found that after fasting and sacrifice can come a new form of liberation. Like Jesus as he experienced the solitude and temptation in 40 days in the wilderness, may we be able to lift our heads to the one on whom we should depend. Lord, help us to see you. In Jesus’ name.

Amen.