Today I was really struck at how fasting brings us to our knees and then draws us back to our feet. On the one hand, you can find your body weak (if fasting from food or drink) or your mind empty (if fasting from the normal entertainments). On the other hand, it is interesting to see how God fills that weakness or emptiness. I find it interesting how quickly I want to turn to a comfort food, book, person, or dream when I am tired or need a break from work. When I take out all that I normally rely on, then I find how truly ingenius God works. Sometimes I wonder if all the time spent on facebook, twitter, romance books, movie watching, computer gaming, was put to coming up with solutions for poverty, dirty water, immunizations, social systems that need changing... heck even national debt! What would happen? How fast could we bring God's kingdom if we actually put our heart, soul, and mind into it. If we trained like Paul - beating (disciplining) our bodies - straining for one goal... I can't imagine what God would do through us. Already he uses our weaknesses. How then would he use our strengths?
Of course, this is not to say one should "try harder" at fasting. I've already mentioned that never works. That's why I think fasting is so interesting. If you make it a non-negotiable habit, and it isn't something enormous; eventually you get used to it. It's not a production, it's just a part of your life. In fact, it becomes less of a sacrifice, either because you realize how much you have to begin with or you realize how much you receive in its absence. As I was driving home, I longed to read a book when I got home in order to relax, but then I was struck by the question, "How will God refresh me instead?" One day, when I would normally have been reading or watching Netflix, I found myself hungry to write poetry. It's been so long since I've felt creative. I suddenly wondered if all the easy entertainment drowns out my true creativity. When I eat my rice for lunch, it's the most delicious thing. I taste so much more deeply - how warm it is, how good it feels in my stomach, how flavorful it is (one would never thing rice was flavorful unless one ate it alone!)
Fasting does two amazing things 1) It builds your faith in a loving good God because it makes one vulnerable, weak, and/or empty. It allows for God to surprise you with good things you never could have imagined. 2) It also allows God to remind you of all that you already have. It helps adjust your eyesight to the little details we so often take for granted.
Hungry for more,
Katie
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