Learning Lent

So for the first time in my life I am doing a whole-lent fast this year. I have fasted in the past and I never felt I got the "full effect" of it. Maybe I have had unclear notions of why one should fast or what it is doing for you. I was craving a bottle of Mountain Dew soda pop yesterday and a thought came to me. Since I started abstaining from pop on Ash Wednesday, I have continually wanted pop more than usual. I can humbly say I have not given in, even when I ordered a delicious pepperoni pizza the other night that would have been absolutely magical with the addition of "The Dew" copyright Flinkman family I resisted. I have felt as I usually feel with fasts of mine, half-hearted with my attempts at pertinence and spirituality. This time I craved what I had given up more than I craved it when I was not fasting from it. Now please stop thinking "Wow Nate is sooooooo holy" I know you were right there and I'm sure if I stopped here I could have many girlfriends at TIU's F.A.T, but neither here nor there. I have decided multiple times to break the fast a sip a sweet soday, yes soday. So the intent was there but at the last second I did not indulge. I have wandered around my point long enough. The point is this, I have not felt uber spiritual or holy or even more connected to Christ through this fast,( I genuinely want all those things mind you) but each time I have wanted a bottle of pop and resisted, I have thought of why I am abstaining. I am abstaing to help remind myself of what is approaching, the remembrance of The Christ's Death and the celebration of His Most Glorious Resurrection! Is that all that the Lent fast is for? Drawing our minds continually towards the fact that Jesus gave up his life on a cross with all of our sins burdened up on his soul, and then defeated the curse and arose victoriously up from the grave, alive. When the Monday after Easter Sunday rolls around, I will open the 2-liter of Mountain Lighting and chug gluttonously and now by feasting on what I had fasted from, I can remember it all over again. I wonder if this made any sense?