This time of year shines light on so many practicing Christians as well as born-again Catholics, to really test their faith and commitment by giving something up for Lent. For 40 days and nights, we Catholics go without to not only honor the sacrifice Jesus made for us but to also bring us closer to Him. There are so many obvious sacrifices like alcohol or social media. There’s also those who like to kill two birds with one stone by giving up sweets or carbs in hopes of losing weight during this Lenten practice. But, after 25 years of giving something up for Lent, the practice gets…well…old and just basic.
Been There, Done That.
See, I’ve given up all of the tough things already, sometimes multiple years. I’ve done the social media hiatus. I’ve given up alcohol, sweets, and Starbucks. I even gave up texting one year (turns out it was more of an inconvenience for others). I like the idea and the practice of honoring Jesus Christ through a challenging sacrifice, but none of those ever left me feeling satisfied or closer to God. It just became another ordinary practice that, quite frankly, wasn’t very difficult to accomplish.
…until I flipped the script.
Why do I have to give anything up at all? What if I completed an act of service that was equally as challenging — Something above and beyond what I already do; Something that would definitely take time and effort on my part; Something that would bring me closer to God; Something that would make me a better person and strengthen another holy relationship; something that, in time, would honestly make me a better and even happier person and even create a rippling effect for others around me; something so monumental yet so unassuming in completing?!
I promise to have more sex with my husband.
Now, I know some of you may be thinking that this is a bit selfish on my part—that I’m taking an easy out and just trying to have more sex. But, that is not the case here. My husband and I could stand for a sexual intervention like this. Married 12 years and having enough kids to make our own soccer team lends very little time and sometimes desire to even complete the act regularly. When baseball practices, homework, dance classes, dirty diapers, and two full-time jobs are also competing for our time, sex almost always gets the L.
Obviously, to have more sex with my husband sounds ideal and is easier said than done, but tacking it on as my Lenten Promise just adds a bit more assurance that I will do everything in my power to make this happen. It’s for Jesus, after all. Committed to each other in Holy Matrimony, my husband and I promised to love and cherish each other. I’m taking this Lenten season to reintroduce those ideas and liven up that commitment we made to each other. I’m going to make more time for my husband replacing my kids on the pedestal with him like God intended.
My Goal
It is my hope that we rebuild our intimacy, get in the habit of putting each other first and make more time for one another. Making this my Lenten commitment in lieu of giving something up will help me focus for a much greater purpose and, in turn, develop a much healthier and happier marriage and family life.
This is wonderful! Keep up the good work for the sake of your marriage, your family, and the church! Timothy Gordon had an interesting YouTube video recently talking about marital debt. It is going to take some time for me to process everything that was brought up in it. I’ve read Stephanie’s book and have even met with her to chat about it. The vid said close to, “it is better to have sex than to not have sex. You should be having as much sex as possible.”