Our Daily Bread

Like any other creature that walks this earth I gotta eat.  And I'm quite convinced that I enjoy doing so more than the average person, because, I must say, I'm pretty good at it.  My taste buddies and I have been through thick and thin, sweet and sour, salty and savory, bitter and...well, whatever pairs well with bitter.  I've mastered the technique of eating the soup, salad, and bread sticks at Olive Garden as efficiently as possible so as to get the most for my money (save the bread sticks for the soup.  NEVER eat them with your salad--rookie mistake).  My pallet is so sophisticated as to inform you that my favorite "restaurant" is the China Max in the mall food court (another tip while eating here: get it to go--you get more...these tips don't make me pathetic!!!!).  You get the picture.  I like food.  I'm pretty sure it likes me, too (otherwise, why would it beckon me so?)  A good part of my life, especially the social part, revolves around food.  You go to a party, there's food.  You go to the movies, there's overpriced popcorn and candy (so you bring your own stash), you get together with some friends and you meet up at a restaurant.  That is why I approached this week's discipline, Fasting, with hesitance.

Why would anyone want to fast?  We need to eat so why would we deprive ourselves of this necessity?  That was my state of mind when I first heard about the practice of this discipline.  However, my assumptions were misinformed, much like they were for most of the other disciplines we've covered so far.  By the end of our in-class discussion, I understood the benefits and reason behind the practice of fasting--even though I was probably daydreaming about a cheeseburger at the time.

We may pride ourselves in thinking that our minds are the ruler of our actions, but it is often our stomachs that lead our path.  If we're hungry we steer our direction towards something to eat.  If we listened to every order our stomach dictated, though, we would find ourselves in a bad way.  Fasting is a reminder that our stomach is not king.  Rather, God is.  While fasting, we should take the time that we would spend eating, satisfying our stomachs, and satisfy our souls by spending that time with God.  The Word will be our sustenance rather than food.

Now, I've never fasted before, and so I decided to start small.  I planned to fast for two meals out of a single day, with the allowance of water and a little coffee in the morning (otherwise I get monstrous headaches.)  Overall, I was pretty good about restricting myself, save for some lettuce (which turned out to be such a tease and not worth it.)  However, my plan included spending more time with God and His Word, and I did not really succeed in this aspect.  Really, this renders the whole practice meaningless.  Yes, I did really appreciate the food I was given once I was done with my period of fasting (so I guess it wasn't meaningless), but in my future practice of fasting, I'd do well to actually do the practice that is intended to be a part of it--spend time with God and grow closer to him.

Well, that's it, folks!  Catch you at the food court!

Steph