On Holy Saturday, I was talking with a friend and I mentioned how I was so excited for Easter, partially because Jesus’s Resurrection and Meat Friday during the octave, but also because I could finally put my hair up. I had to explain further I gave up hair ties for Lent.

Her jaw dropped and she said “Why would you even do that?”

And that reaction is exactly why I did it. The idea came from one of my Catholic Facebook groups as an alternate penance for pregnant women who can’t fast. I laughed at the absurdity of the idea. Then I got a little uncomfortable. It was surely too hard!

I actually wrestled with the idea for a couple weeks before Ash Wednesday. It sounded hard and my resistance to the idea was what made me commit to it. Giving up hairties for Lent was good for me and also an incredible opportunity for evangelization.

One of my biggest struggles in life is self discipline (I wrote about that some earlier in Lent). I’m the girl who has one piece of chocolate and then another…and then another. I schedule my life out, but neglect to carve out 10 minutes in my morning routine for prayer. I’m really bad at sacrifice too. Sure I’ve sacrificed a LOT because God asked me to, but to willingly offer up discomfort, not my normal path. I usually figure I have suffered enough.

And with hair my length, it was a constant temptation. It was a constant choice to honor God. It was a constant reminder of Lent, of the Crucified Christ, of His Love for me.

It seems so insignificant, especially if you’ve never had long hair. The best metaphor I can come up with is spending Lent with a tiny pebble in your shoe. Your instinct is, of course, to take your shoe off and shake it out. But you don’t and you choose to leave it and sacrifice that discomfort to God.

And it was a sacrifice! I was so excited for Easter because I was faithful to my Lenten sacrifice. Lent is a beautiful season where we are able to join into Christ’s Passion in a special way. It was frustrating at times, especially at work when my hair was in my eyes, but it in no where compares to the anguish of the early Church.

Next Lent, consider making an effort to something that is close to a constant reminder of the liturgical season. Giving up soda or chocolate can be a good practice, but this is also a season to take deep stock of where you fall short in your faith. Maybe self-discipline, maybe prayer life, maybe a host of other issues.

Be prayerful and don’t be scared to be a little unique. It’s a great witness to others to explain how your penance relates back to a virtue. I’ve had great conversations about discipline, sacrifice, and a variety of other Catholic topics because “hair ties” isn’t the answer most people expect when they ask what you gave up for Lent.