“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” 
                                              ― G.K. Chesterton

There is, I think, a nice Lenten connection here.  Are we making these sacrifices in an effort to merely follow rules we don't really understand or to just try and curb a bad habit?  Or are we approaching this in a more meaningful way?

Are we embracing sacrifice because we are acknowledging that the effort we are making is intended to help us defend something absolutely priceless to us, namely a pure and fruitful relationship with God Himself who dwells in us by grace? Are we just checking the block or are we passionately fending off anything that could dilute that relationship in the slightest?