sacrifices that don't hurt

i stood behind a guy at the grocery store who was buying, among other things, a case of non-alcoholic "wine." he said that he has given up wine for Lent. it struck me that giving up something and then immediately replacing it with the closest thing you can get to it isn't really giving up much at all. (except, in this situation, if you're a full-on alcoholic, i guess it certainly would be.)

then, as i waited for the cashier to finish ringing up this guy's order (and as i waited while they price-checked the "wine" - because the guy about had a heart attack when it rang up at $2.99 a bottle and he threw a big hissy fit and demanded to see the manager, etc. etc. etc.)......as i waited for all of this hullabaloo to subside, i glanced into my own cart......

having given up meat (and pasta and anxiety and hatin' on obama) for Lent, i saw that i had the fixins for a fine fish meal.......lemon piccata trout and homemade french fries with blue cheese. not exactly spartan. not exactly a sacrifice.

so, being the human being that i am, did i turn around in line and go back to the aisles to return the overblown stuff i had put into my cart? being the human being that i am, no. i did not.

being the human being that i am, did i fix my trout dinner last night, minus the frills? being the human being that i am, no. i did not. i ate with gusto.

but, being the human being that's trying to be a better one than i am, my conscience (read: Holy Spirit) has bugged me ever since enjoying that gourmet plate full of fish. and even more than my gourmet plate full of fish, my conscience (Holy Spirit) has bugged me that i rolled my eyes at the guy at kroger who bought fake wine instead of real wine. and because my conscience the Holy Spirit has bugged me, i'm gonna pay attention to it....... for the rest of Lent, i'm gonna eat simple fish. not fancy-ass fish.


good thing i didn't  give up wine, though.  :)