Spirituality, Lent, Easter: Giving Up in Order to Gain Much

With Easter coming up, how does giving up something for Lent prepare us for such a holy season? There are several ways to give something up in order to feel closer to god.   * One way is to sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice. If you feel that sacrifice is a virtue, then giving up something — anything — will make you feel closer to your purpose.  * Another way is to sacrifice to better someone else’s life. If you give something up in order to better a second person, this may make you feel closer to god. For instance, giving charitable donations, or doing something for someone that will take your time, money or possessions, may make you feel more whole.  * Anonymous sacrifice is a third way that people feel closer to god. If you give something up or give something up to someone to better their life, without claiming any credit for it, there is a sense of purity in the sacrifice.Understanding why you do what you do and what makes you feel good, bad, whole or less whole, is important in order to live an authentic and genuine life, and doing that, is the most spiritual, religious, and godly thing anyone can do.