We asked how long it took for you to give up on Lent this year

It seemed like forever, but Lent finally ended a few days ago. This year, many UGA students chose to give up something important to them to reaffirm their commitment to their faith.

For 40 days, these students have struggled and persevered in the face of Instagram, gossip, chocolate, etc. – or at least some of them did. We asked what they gave up and how long they made it before giving in.

Ressa Gagat

Ressa tried to give up gossiping for Lent, but it was much harder than she expected.

“I was gonna stop gossiping during the time of Lent and try to spend that time with God, but it’s really hard. It’s a daily struggle. It’s always a temptation when you give up something for Lent. That’s why you’re supposed to give up things in your life that are hard to give up.”

Lily Simpson

Lily said: “I did two things actually – I gave up cookies from the dining hall, which I literally eat five a day at least, and gossiping.”

She was able to keep her promise for the full 40 days, but it hasn’t been easy. Simpson said: “This morning when I was walking down the stairs, I saw that they had the double chocolate cookies, which are my favorite, and I thought if I had made it this far, why should I stop now?”

“I think a lot of times people miss the point of Lent. The point of Lent isn’t to give up something and it’s tough, the point is to take that time to be in prayer and reflect.”

Solomon Krow

Solomon tried to give up junk food and eat a little healthier.

He said: “The process went well for a couple of weeks. I did cheat and I feel really bad about it, but I tried to continue on with and exercise a little more as well. When I caved, it felt awful to be honest because God sacrifices for us every day. So me making a small sacrifice like this and then caving on it is pretty awful, but I continue to try to follow it and hopefully next Lent I can be more dedicated to it.”

Mary Carol Butterfield

Mary Carol gave up sweets.

She said: “It was awful. I did it because I’m used to having dessert and giving it up made me make a conscious effort. I stuck with it most of the time, but I caved twice. Once on my friend’s birthday and the second one was one of my friends went to Belgium over spring break and brought back Belgium chocolate. I figured I had one chance to eat Belgium chocolate, so I caved. Does that make me a bad person?”

Cece Onyegbule

Cece gave up soda and carbonated drinks.

“I felt like if you can take a away some minor things and learn you can be fine without it, it’s a baby step to learn that you can give up big things. It was kind of tough, but it’s worth it, because baby steps can lead to big goals at the end of the day.”

Venice Thacker

Venice gave up candy and Instagram.

“The candy got easier as I went along, but Instagram was hard. I haven’t caved on the candy but I do go on Instagram on Sundays.”