My ReLENTless Journey

This week I started a journey, one connected to Lent. Though it began on Ash Wednesday, I didn’t get involved wholeheartedly because of all that was going on. (Yes, I realize that’s an excuse.) Anyway, I had posted a story about a widow named Sylvie on Sunday. A woman with 2 young children, living in Africa having to dig for rocks to be used for gravel, making a mere $2 a day for her hard labor. Her children had to leave school if there was no money to pay school fees. Her hope is to be self sufficient and take care of her family, send her children to school and feed them twice a day, rather than once.
I woke up this morning (Wed.) thinking, there is no way I've given up enough. Sylvie's children have no blankets; I'm sleeping under 3 between flannel sheets on a comfie California King bed. I have hot running water; they walk, probably, a long way for a bucket of water. Though I'm not using toothpaste this week, I am using a toothbrush thinking that perhaps they at least have that. Think about the luxuries that surround us. When I was asked to list the luxuries in our home, I immediately thought of the furniture, kitchen appliances, washer and dryer, etc. However, as I looked deeper, I'm thinking toothbrush, toothpaste, running water, deodorant, shampoo and other hair accrutements (I love that word and I've probably spelled it wrong.). Along with a toilet (not even a 'squatty potty' or a 'flying toilet'--more on that another time), bathtub and shower. Jesus says we just need food and covering and he'll take care of the rest. Wow! Is it time for me to sell all of my possessions and give to the poor? I'm praying about what He'd want me to do.
The challenge was to live off of $14 for the week, in food and to do without other luxuries that I sometimes take for granted. Well, I started with baby steps. As for the $14 a week for food, I guess my excuse for that is it would be too much of a hassle to figure out how much a bowl of cereal is worth, a piece of bread, etc. I guess I could use a calculator, but hey, isn’t that a luxury? Anyway, as you’ve noticed, I didn’t give up Facebook or the internet yet. Maybe I will try that soon. So for now, I’ll go without a few toiletries, until it gets bad, and will try to add daily to the items I will fast during this season. I will keep you posted along my journey.