Yesterday was Fat Tuesday.
Today is Ash Wednesday.
Yesterday was party day.
Today we confess.
I have always thought that these days were mismatched.
Excess immediately prior to penance.
Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
It never made sense to me.
I always felt there was a better way to prepare for Ash Wednesday.
When Jesus turned towards Jerusalem near the end of His earthly ministry, He knew the end of the story. He did not kick off the event with a wild party. Why should I?
Oswald Chambers frequently asks, “Are you willing to become broken bread and pour-out wine for God?
This a good question to ask on Ash Wednesday and everyday during Lent.
Am I willing to broken be for Jesus?
He died on the cross, His bones broken, His veins gashed for my sake.
What sacrifice am I willing to make for Him?
Some believe giving up chocolate, candy, or a simple pleasure for Lent is a sacrifice
comparable to Jesus dying on the cross. I do not.
If we are going to sacrifice like Jesus, then we need to offer God a sacrifice that pleases Him, not us.
David wrote in Psalm 51:17: “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit and a contrite heart.”
What are you willing to give up for Jesus? What will break your heart to give up for God?
Bread Crumbs - Devotions for Life 
Shrovetide, the three days before Ash Wednesday, got its name from Shrove Tuesday, which its name from the reconciliation sought before Lent: To shrive is to hear confession, assign penance, and give absolution. One is shriven of guilt through repentance, making these days of glad tidings, sport, and merriment before the rigors of Lent. Hall Sunday, Hall Monday, and Hall Night were names used for the same time and same reason: Hall is a contraction of hallow, which means holy, festive. Still others would speak of Merry Monday. This preparation is partly play.
Feasting—food and drink—became the staples of the play, preparing a person as well as pantry for the fasting. And so the names came Carling Sunday, from the custom, especially in northern Europe, of eating parched peas fried in butter (carlings) and the quite unpuritanical Blue Monday, a day supposedly spent in dissipation, which, some say, gives a blue to everything. For others, these two days were Callop Monday and Pancake Day, because of the foods specially prepared and served then. The practice originated in the effort to use up eggs, milk, and lard before Lent, with its strict conditions for fasting. And finally on Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras in French, the carnival celebration, people feasted on rich foods and pastries in anticipation of the rigors of Lent and in order to use up certain foods that were not even kept in the house during the fast.
Pal, thank you for the historical background. For those who do not understand this history, it will be helpful. However, I am continue to be struck by the stark contrast, which i believe is helpful for our spiritual journey. Rus