Christians at Iowa State have a variety of feelings and beliefs regarding Lent.

Lent, the 40 days before Easter Sunday and excluding the Sundays in between, refers to the time in which Jesus is said to have spent fasting in the desert, during which he was tempted by the devil.

Lent frequently marks a time where many Christian sects give up a personal vice or start doing something new in an attempt to strengthen their relationship with God. However, in the stressful environment of college, some find it hard to stick to that commitment. 

Kevin Nennig, senior in computer engineering and president of the Catholic Student Community, always tries to commit to something for Lent.

“Usually for Lent, I give up two things: give something up and try to add something,” Nennig said. “Usually, they work together. For example, not eating junk food and exercising more often.”

This year, Nennig wanted to expand his horizons and look outward of himself, by giving up watching TV reruns — which he frequently does — and using that time having a personal conversation with someone for at least 10 minutes every day. Nennig is more concerned with the latter. 

“Lent is not about just sacrifice, rather it is about growing closer to God and what better way to do that than growing closer to your brothers and sisters around you?” Nennig said. 

The commitment of Lent is a difficult one to stick with, though, for some college students. Adam Carver, junior in pre-advertising, has since gone back to his normal routine after giving up Facebook.

“My intention was to decrease my dependence on the site, but it didn’t last long,” Carver said. “I neglected to fully prepare, so Lent was a whopping day for me. Sorry, Jesus.”

Despite only giving up Facebook for a day, Carver still found that day to be “truly rewarding” and said he simply hasn’t had the personal strength to start again.

Miku Vaniman, junior in industrial engineering, didn’t give up anything in the first place.

“I actually haven’t given anything up for a few years,” Vaniman said. “I used to do it [during high school] because I thought it was the ‘right’ thing to do.”

Vaniman feels that many people give up something for reasons unrelated to God, like health or kicking a bad habit.

“The reason to give up something or start doing something for Lent should be to focus on your relationship with God,” Vaniman said.

Nennig also believes that people don’t always understand the purpose of the Lenten observance traditions.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize that growing closer to God is the main reason for the Lenten promise,” Nennig said. “If you are able to truly stick to your convictions and not give into temptation you can hopefully come out of the Lenten season closer to God.”