40 Days to a Better Soul (and Body?)
A few of my friends have recently started the “Whole 30,” a lifestyle change in which you eliminate all processed foods and sugars from your diet to commit to a wholesome way of eating and living. (More power to them, as I often crave muffins and Fro-yo on a daily basis.) After a grueling 30 days of discipline and sacrifice, your body becomes used to healthy food and no longer craves the sugary, fatty foods it once did. The 30 day “diet” helps to rid your body of the negative toxins to make way for a healthier, freer lifestyle. Wouldn’t it be cool though, if we had the same mentality towards our spiritual life? Today we begin the Season of Lent, a 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in preparation for Easter. These 40 days are meant to represent the 40 days Jesus was in the desert and the 40 years the Israelites were in exile. Tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, marks (literally) a time of repentance and renewal by receiving crosses on our foreheads as a sign o
