Lent, day two

So! Today is the second day of Lent, and the first Friday during Lent. During Lent, Friday is a day set aside for penance, abstinence, and fasting. No eating between meals, no sweets or goodies, no meat. And, wouldn't you know it, yesterday I made a cake. Not just any cake, but the best apple cake I have ever eaten, and I love apple cake! This cake has one pound of butter, eight eggs, a pound of sugar, corn meal, almond flour, and two tablespoons of vanilla in it. It is quite simply, the best thing I have ever eaten in my life. It sits on my ledge, surely knowing how badly I want to eat a piece with my afternoon latte. It probably even hears my inner dialogue, in which I try to justify eating just one tiny little bit. After all, today is my sister's birthday, a day for celebration, and surely that includes cake eaten whenever! You would think that this giving up something I don't really need would be easy, especially in light of the gifts and graces I have been given.  But is is not easy, and I am weak. I am used to giving myself what I want, even if I do not need it. This is one of the blessings of Lent. I am given a chance, if I will but take it, to grow in holiness, to gain greater mastery over myself, to lose a bit of my selfishness. And, that is the heart of the matter for me. So often times, I do not want to grow in holiness, gain self mastery, or grow less selfish. I just want the cake! Or the shoes, or the book, or the candy, and so the list goes. This is what has been revealed to me in my battle with apple cake temptation, and perhaps this shall be my Lenten prayer: That I would desire to gain holiness above all things, even darned good apple cake! By the way, the recipe is at thewednesdaychef.com which is one of my very favorite cooking blogs.