Confessions of a Slipaholic

No one's perfect... just start fresh today

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I have something to confess…

It was late, I was out, I was hungry, and nothing else was open, so I went into a pizza shop looking for some garlic knots, which they were out of, and found myself confronted with pizza (cue the lightening flash and horror music), or a really old looking iceberg lettuce salad that was browning around the edges. As the man on the other side of the counter growled, “You’re holding up the line,” I slipped! (Metaphorically. I didn’t actually fall.)

So I confess it… I chose the pizza. I justified it by saying it was Sunday technically, since it was after midnight on Saturday, and therefore not part of my 40 day cheese sacrifice. Still, I slipped — phew — glad I got that off my chest.

How are you doing?

So how are you, our BH community, doing this Lent?

I noticed something here in the last few days: it seems (and I may be wrong) that a whole lot less people are Fasting, Praying and Giving with Busted Halo®. The first two weeks were going strong and then, suddenly, a drop off.

Not particularly surprising. Just like New Year’s resolutions we all have the good intentions to follow through on our Lenten sacrifices. But, as the memory of Ash Wednesday fades, with Easter not even showing up on this month’s calendar, life gets back to normal and it’s easy to forget.

The reason we need Lent — that we are not perfect — is the same reason we need to try to learn how to accept our own weaknesses and strive to get better, and thereby hopefully closer to God.

We’ve had some stories of slip-ups on the Slip Support Station of our Fan Page too:

Ndidi confessed, “I just slipped up on Day 2. I was trying not to complain, but ended up venting to a classmate about the incompetency of my lab group members. Ugh. Prayed for forgiveness, and trying to be grateful the rest of the day.”

Brenda Lamented, “Ugh, I think I picked too many things to do and now I’m not doing any of them well. OK, I will regroup and pick just one or two and see how it goes. More time in prayer will be #1.”

And Daniel revealed, “Friday I went out for lunch with my math tutor and had some meat. Oops, I slipped, I hope to do better next week.”

So people are slipping.

No big deal!

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To which we at Busted Halo say, NO BIG DEAL! Lent is not about the chocolate, or the pizza, or even (dare we say it) the meat, it’s about something bigger. The reason we need Lent — that we are not perfect — is the same reason we need to try to learn how to accept our own weaknesses and strive to get better, and thereby hopefully closer to God.

If Catholicism were easy, you wouldn’t have a busted halo in the first place. That’s why the Busted Halo® Lenten calendar has different suggestions daily. We know you might slip up on one, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start fresh each day.

So now a third of the way through Lent we want to formally invite you back! If you’ve slipped up we want you here, Fasting, Praying and Giving with us, because at Busted Halo® we believe no one’s perfect, but we’re all on a journey towards God. Besides, I need more people here who are going to keep slipping, because I know I probably will and I need the moral support!

We know you might slip up on one, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start fresh each day.

So let’s start over! No need to show us your ashes again, although we’re not going to stop you ;-) If you’ve slipped and would feel better about starting anew by first fessing up to your slippage (I know I did), then use the comment section or on our fan page’s Slip Support Station. Then let’s move on and get back to our Fast Pray Give calendar. It’s completely unflunkable as long as you keep trying.

Do you have a dramatic slip story to tell? Share it in the comments below or through our Slip Support Station and be entered in our Biggest Slip-up competition. Winners will receive a copy of the March Magnificat (to help you get back on your feet for the rest of Lent).