Thirty-something speaks
Promises to God
Mike Maddock

Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness. My five- year- old son is trying to spend 40 days without picking his own nose.

I wasn't aware my son's nose picking had risen to biblical proportions, but apparently he thought it was important enough to give up for the season of Lent. He also promised God he would quit sucking his thumb. Again, I thought this was a non- issue. I hadn't seen him put either digit in those facial areas for quite some time, but a promise is a promise.

Needless to say my fear of Fat Tuesday was justified. I wasn't sure how my son was planning on spending that day, but I knew I didn't want any part of it.

My eight- year- old daughter has also made some promises to God for the 40 days leading up to Easter. She gave up ice cream and promised not to yell, unless of course, it's absolutely necessary. Her definition of "absolutely necessary" is a tad bit different than mine. Not that she's screaming and yelling all the time, but the lack of ice cream seems to have given her an edge. If someone like her older sister dares waive a cone of vanilla- fudge- twirl in her face, then my youngest daughter firmly believes she will be forgiven if the tone of her voice rises to a deafening level.

My oldest daughter, the 10- year- old, hasn't given up torturing her little sister, but she has given up chocolate milk. This to me is possibly the greatest sacrifice between the three. I mean my son pretty much kept his fingers out of his facial orifices before Lent and my youngest daughter has given herself a couple of outs with the "absolutely necessary" clause for yelling and birthday parties for ice cream. She says it would be rude to turn down ice cream if and when it was offered at a friend's party. In her eyes, refusing ice cream could be hurtful to her friends and therefore warrants breaking her promise. Maybe she's right,…it's not really for me to judge.

My oldest daughter only drinks three things so her promise eliminated 33 percent of her beverage world. That's significant, but it still isn't exactly wandering through the wilderness with that pesky Satan and no food.

If my son keeps his fingers a safe distance from his face, my youngest daughter yells and eats ice cream only when absolutely necessary, and my oldest daughter doesn't go on a Nestle Quick binge until Easter, then will Jesus be proud? I think so. Even He was a long way away from elementary school when he made his journey. Who's to say the little Jesus' first attempts at soul searching and repentance didn't include the elimination of some less than sanitary habits, controlling his temper, and cutting back on baskets of lentils?

I'm just proud of my kids for knowing about Lent and caring enough to participate. When I was their age, I thought "lint" was just something I pulled out of my belly button at the end of the day.

My daughters and my son have got a long way to go on their spiritual journey, but they certainly have a head start on me.