Friday, March 7, 2025
“No Meat Today!”
In early 1962, McDonald’s franchise owner Lou Groen (Cincinnati, OH) tested a new product to help offset his falling hamburger sales. His business was located in a neighborhood with lots of churches, and he began to worry about the additional sales he would lose during Lent since many of the people in the area would give up meat on Fridays. In response, he deep-fried a fish filet, slapped it on a bun with some condiments, and, “Presto!”, the first fast-food fish sandwich was born.
Today is the international day of fish sandwiches, cheese pizza, and salad. (Not really. That’s a joke.) But, yes, essentially, the restaurant industry recognizes its need to cater to the tastes of the general public. Since today is the first Friday in our Lenten Challenges, we will follow suit by honoring that ancient tradition of refraining from meat today.
This is only a 24-hour Challenge, so once you’ve gone 24 hours without meat, you can take a big bite of whatever you want. But again, the goal of making small sacrifices during Lent is to call our attention to some little things we can do for God. Withholding meat today is not going to save the world or help us drop the needed 15 pounds, but it will give us a chance to say, “No thank you” for just a little while in honor of the LORD.
I know, I know. This is dumb and much too simple to help anything. However, I urge you. If you’ve never done this before, please try it. If you haven’t eaten any meat since last night, you already have a head start: You’re home-free once you reach dinner tonight. If you had some bacon this morning, just withhold meat until you wake up tomorrow morning, and you’re done.
These 24 hours can do more than you expect. Little sacrifices, or in our case, little thoughts about God, can go a long way in helping us develop a more healthy life.
“When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God.” (1 Cor 10:31, CEV)
