My Sarcastic Heart

I took a Facebook quiz just for fun to see what I should give up for Lent.

The result was sarcasm. I expected chocolate.

Say what? Wow, I processed this for a minute and realized that this silly little test pegged me to a tee. Sarcasm defined is: ‘the use of irony to mock or convey contempt’. I have a real sarcastic streak. I do not intend malice and sometimes it can be quite humorous, but I started to realize in this moment in time that many times my words hurt others. Because I do not want my words to hurt, I starting thinking I should give this fasting from sarcasm a try.

But, where does this sarcasm come from? How did I develop this habit?

I concluded that my family is a very sarcastic group. Again, no malice intended. We playfully tease and mock each other all the time. My sarcasm has become witty and elicits laughter in many circles. This encourages me to say these off-the-cuff things, because I am funny right? Wrong. The use of irony to mock or convey contempt is never funny and the Holy Spirit just used a silly Facebook quiz to convict me.

I gave up sarcasm for Lent. The key to doing this, like fasting from anything, is awareness. Being aware of my words takes as much self-control as fasting from food, if not more. Changing the way you interact with people is very challenging. I have to remember that Christ would not want me to say this thing in my head and quickly before it spills out my mouth. We are called to encourage and lift people up, not tear down with our words.

Thank God that Holy Mother Church gives us this season of Lent. A time when we are all called to again repent, to go a little deeper spiritually, to rend our hearts. My prayer is that with God’s help and my efforts, this Lent with change my heart forever.