Give up, take on

Galatians 5:16-24

I have spent  some time recently wondering what to give up for Lent. It seems so trivial to give up chocolate or wine and the chocolatier needs his income as much in Lent as any other time of year. Jesus totally withdrew from society, from chocolate, wine and bread, from all food and all company except that of his father. At the end of the forty days he was hungry yet he resisted the devil's offer of food and did not succumb to testing whether he was or was not God's son by throwing himself from the Temple. 

The time in the desert had strengthened his relationship with God so that he could do the work that he had come to do. That is how I want to approach Lent, as a time to build my relationship with God. To this end I will endeavour to abstain from fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy drunkenness  carousing and things like these. Some will be easier than others. Some will be very difficult. The greatest difficulty might be recognising them in myself and especially not creating strife if somebody has the audacity to point out envy in me. 
If I am not going to grouch then I will have to adopt some differnet attitudes, ones chosen from love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. It will take an effort to react to situations in these manners. Hmm, patience at red traffic lights, possibly. Giving of my time more willingly? Doing an unprovoked act of kindness?