Friday, February 23, 2024
“No Caffeine 24 Hours”
This one will hurt. Those of us who awaken every day expecting a jolt of energy to begin the day are about to be unhappy.
If you’ve followed these Lenten Devotions for the last several years, you might be ahead of the game. If you knew the rules of our “Friday Fasts”, that the fasts can begin any time of any day, you probably began this devotion last night with your last caffeine intake. If you haven’t consumed any caffeine since yesterday, then you only need to make it a few more hours before you can go back to it. If, however, you didn’t know these challenges could have begun the day before, then you may just be starting your fast now. In that case, you can’t have caffeine until this same time tomorrow.
Bummer. Yeah, I know. I’ll receive plenty of unhappy feedback on this one. But before you hit the “send” button on the unhappy email or text you are about to send me, take a moment to consider why this Lenten Challenge is important. It is unlikely that we need caffeine to live, though we might feel like it sometimes. Refraining from caffeine for just 24 hours shows us that we can be successful at almost anything, but more importantly, it shows us that we can do something in honor of God’s gift of love for us.
God created caffeine and God put caffeine into certain plants and food. If God didn’t think that we needed a little caffeine from time to time, then God could have made all coffee beans decaffeinated, right? God put caffeine in those beans and plants for some reason…possibly because God knows that I’m unbearable without my morning stimuli.
Today’s Lenten Challenge is to refrain from caffeine for 24 hours. If you haven’t had any caffeine yet today, begin counting from your last intake of caffeine yesterday. After 24 hours, you’re done. If you require caffeine for medical and health reasons, by all means, do whatever the doctor has ordered. Instead of taking the Caffeine Challenge, consider praying five times today to complete your Challenge. (A bit extreme, huh? So is giving up caffeine for a day!)
We can do this. It might hurt a little, but we’ll be okay. God has provided everything we need and giving the LORD a big decaffeinated “Thank You” could be a nice way to show our appreciation for…everything.
“When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.” (Matthew 6:6-8, The Message)
