Today is the last day before we enter the season of Lent (a season of prayer and fasting.)  As I was reading through the blogs that I read regularly I came across this post on the significance of Fat Tuesday.  Where I grew up, we always had Fastnachts (or fatty doughnuts.)  Mark Roberts writes a great post that can be found [here].

In case you don’t want to follow the link, here’s the part I liked:

Notice also the rationale for the party: “This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (8:10). In my tradition, holiness is usually associated with somberness and seriousness. This isn’t wrong, but it can lead to a lack of balance in our experience of God. Sometimes on a sacred day it is absolutely right to celebrate and to experience the joy of the Lord.

Nehemiah 8, therefore, stands as a corrective to two opposing views of life that battle our allegiance. On the one hand, some would argue that the only way to enjoy life is to live excessively, engaging in behavior that is beyond the parameters of decency, not to mention God’s Word. Others, by contrast, would contend that godly living always demands austerity and solemnity. In fact, the Bible reveals that God created the good things in this life to be enjoyed . . . within limits. There is a time to “eat the fat” in celebration even as there is a time to fast in repentance, and plenty of times in between.

So if you’re going to eat pancakes today, or some other equivalent delicacy, enjoy your feast because this day is holy to the Lord. Celebrate his goodness with delight because the joy of the Lord is your strength!