Easter is coming soon!

A time for bunnies, eggs, chocolate, lilies, and you know, Jesus getting resurrected.

But before Easter, we Christians have to go through the 40 days of sacrifice, called Lent, in order to sympathize with Jesus.

And believe me, I have enough sympathy to last a lifetime.

For those of you that don’t know what Lent is or involves, it is when Christians give up something that they enjoy for 40 days.

One of the most common things to give up is a type of junk food.

I’ve tried to give up types of junk food over the past few years because let’s be honest, I eat way too much of it. This year, I’m giving up chocolate, which might have been a bad decision because chocolate products are one of the few things my school makes well. I also got my period a few weeks ago, and that’s pretty much impossible to handle without chocolate.

Here are a few things I, and maybe some other of you, have gone through when giving up a food for Lent.

1. It seems like that food suddenly shows up everywhere. Usually, because you stupidly gave up a food that is associated with Easter.

I remember a year I gave up peanut butter cups. And we all know what comes out around Easter. That commercial where the chocolate bunny hooks up with a jar of peanut butter to the sound of Marvin Gaye. This one.

This year, I never realized how many times my school bakes chocolate chip cookies. Or, how many different ice cream brands have chocolate in them.

2. You wonder if looking at a food for too long counts as breaking.

“Is it okay if I look at it for like five minutes? I’m not gonna eat it! I swear!” Anna Bechtel, yesterday at dinner.

3. You wonder if it’s okay to buy some of the food to save for Easter.

I mean, technically you’re not eating it.

4. You ask God if it’s okay to cheat.

“Am I going to hell if I just eat ONE Oreo? Will it be better for you if I dipped a ton of peanut butter on it,” Anna Bechtel, earlier today.

5. You wonder if Jesus ever broke during Lent.

I mean I’m sure the guy wasn’t perfect all the time. (Sorry, Mom).

6. You start making plans for what you’re going to eat on Easter Sunday.

“Okay, so I’ll have a chocolate donut for breakfast, I’ll get chocolate ice cream with Reese’s Pieces on it with both lunch and dinner, I’ll buy double chocolate Oreos as a snack, and then I’ll get diabetes,” Anna Bechtel’s thoughts an hour ago.

7. You find something healthy to replace it.

On a positive note, I’m actually keeping up my resolution to go to the gym.

8. You also find something unhealthy to replace it.

My chip consumption has gone up in the past few weeks.

Does anyone else out there relate to this? What did you give up for Lent? Comment below!