My first thought when I woke up this morning was, "What am I going to do today about this whole fasting thing?" Of course, I have been thinking about it for a few months now, but it seemed kind of distant. But as my stomach began to voice its opinion about the whole idea, I knew this was "go-time." I had to get my mind wrapped around the fact that I had to follow-through. So I started to pray. Just a few lines into the prayer, I heard what Margaret Feinberg calls, The Sacred Echo. It was like God was whispering to me, "Don, its ALREADY working. You are already praying. You are already depending me on me, looking to me, calling out to me. Isn’t that what this whole fasting thing is about?"I kept on praying, but I started thanking Him for the day, my relationship with Him, my life, this 40-Day Journey, our church, etc.! I felt like this could really be a good day in my walk with him. Then Susan and I started talking, and the first thing we discussed was the fasting, which then furthered our discussion about the 40-Day Journey, our ministry, our love for God, etc.
And it just keeps rolling forward...We are still talking...and I am writing this blog...and I am thinking about prayer...and I suddenly become aware that I am not following all the "appetites" of my daily life. My routine is interrupted, and it made more room for God. I am more calm in my thoughts, and more gentle in my interactions.
God bless this fast, even for someone kind of slow like me!
- Don McLaughlin
For me, fasting is intensely personal. I have a hard time talking about it at all. I’d prefer to talk about almost anything other than fasting. Oh, not because I’m against it – not at all. It’s just between me and God.In studying Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline, he discusses the spiritual discipline of fasting, and he brings several good points out for thought. Many folks have talked about how – because of medical reasons – they cannot fast. What they mean is that they cannot do a total food fast, I’m sure.
There are other kinds of fasts. The point of Christian fasting is to give God time you would normally use for something else. So, if a total food fast is not practical or healthy for you, try another type:
- Caffeine fast
- Sugar fast
- Media fast (no radio, television, newspaper, etc.)
- Meat fast
There are many kinds of fasts. If you can and choose to have a food-fast day, good for you! But good for you, too, for choosing another type of fast. So long as we are praying that we will open our eyes, hearts, and hands while we are fasting from whatever is the key.
- Sheree Yasko Hill
