My first fast

A friend of mine loaned me a copy of Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster with no explanation other than "I felt led to give this to you." Not that I needed another example, but I immediately began preparing myself for a "there are no coincidences" moment. The book goes through twelve spiritual disciplines and explains how practicing them (without turning them into legalism) can bring you closer to God.

The chapter on fasting had a particular impact on me. I knew that fasting had been done in the past, and I know that it is still practiced today (even by people in my own church), but I had always associated it with some kind of physical or spiritual crisis, sort of like a hail Mary pass to God. Mr. Foster makes the case that this is not true, that fasting can be used regularly to increase your passion for and closeness to God.

John Piper, in the preface to A Hunger for God, says "The weakness of our hunger for God is not because He is unsavory, but because we keep ourselves stuffed with 'other things.' Perhaps, then, the denial of our stomach's appetite for food might express, or even increase, our soul's appetite for God." Increasing my soul's appetite for God is always a desirable result for me, so I've decided to try what Foster described as a basic fast, going twenty-four hours without food, from lunch one day to lunch the next. The advantage of starting on this timeline is that only two meals are skipped, making it easier for beginners like me not to yield to temptation. And since I have this here bloggy thing, I've decided to take you all along with me. So here we go...

12:15 PM:	Finish a healthy lunch of fruit, yogurt, and cheese. I decide to chase it with some BBQ potato chips and Doritos so I'll have happy memories to fall back on if this turns out to be harder than I think.
2:30 PM:	I feel hungry. I can't actually BE hungry at this point, I think part of me is starting to freak out at the thought of going until noon tomorrow without solid food.
4:30 PM:	Getting the first rumblings of actual hunger now. Unfortunately there's no way for my brain to explain to my stomach the higher purpose of what I'm doing. I think I Corinthians 6:12 is going to be handy for the rest of the night: "All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything."
5:40 PM:	Arrive home to find the house stocked with enough food and leftover Easter candy to become a humanitarian aid station if needed. The initial wave of hunger is subsiding so I'm not sorely tempted to give in. There's also a spark of clarity forming in the back of my mind. We (I mean personally and the culture as a whole) have way too much...stuff. Not a particularly new or groundbreaking insight, but I'm seeing it for the first time on a very personal level.
7:00 PM:	After a furious internal debate on whether to contribute at the prayer breakfast I attend on Friday mornings, when I won't be partaking in the breakfast, I decide the money is really for the teaching and not the food. So Pastor Skip will be getting his $2 after all. I feel like I'm starting to be guided toward what God wants to reveal to me. II Corinthians 12:9 keeps springing into my head: "And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."
5:00 AM:	I expected to wake up ravenous and ready to eat everything I could get my hands on but the desire isn't there. I also notice a subtle shift in my mindset, as I don't feel the need to check facebook before continuing with my day.
6:15 AM:	Arrive at Man Alive. Does coffee count? Please Lord, tell me that coffee doesn't count as breaking the fast early. God's answer is that He would let black coffee slide but if I add milk or sugar then it's over. I'm certain He said this just because I'm not yet desperate enough to drink black coffee. I also need to keep myself from judgmental thoughts as I watch all the other men pile bagels and scrambled eggs onto their plates. It does, however, lead me to wonder what kind of sick, food and drug addicted society have we become? And what in the world can I do about it?
8:15 AM:	The hunger pangs are back, but I now know that I have the strength through Christ to see this to the end. It's working! Thank you Jesus, it's working!
12:00 PM:	Acts 10:13

So what did I learn?

• I was concerned about getting on an emotional roller coaster as this went on, and a little worried that this would reveal a spirit of anger deep within me. I find the fact that I was able to remain calm during this whole thing encouraging.
• Self-denial can actually be a liberating experience. As I looked at my pantry full of food and realized that I was free to walk away without having any, it put a little spring in my step.
• My perspective changes in such a short period were amazing. I'm now seeing food, and even possessions in general, in a whole new light.

And, would I do it again? Yes, but I wouldn't make it a regularly scheduled thing and run the risk of making the fast my focus or falling into spiritual pride. I think spontaneous is the way to go.