Growing up in a Methodist family, I have always observed Lent. But it wasn’t until I was much older that I truly understood its meaning. I remember one particular year, as a freshman in high school, when I decided to give up Dr. Pepper. I was miserable. If you know me now, you know my ongoing love of that soda! At the time, it felt like Lent was just a long stretch of self-inflicted misery, not a spiritual practice. It seemed more like a challenge to see how much I could tolerate rather than a way to grow closer to Christ.