Our church is embarking on a 3-week Daniel fast that began this past Sunday, March 10. We break the fast on Easter. A relative joked, "Will doing this get you to Heaven quicker?" Maybe, if I end up starving to death ;-) Seriously, that's a no. But I do hope that it will allow me to experience intimacy with God that I have never felt before. It's also a time to take some heavier things to the Lord, to essentially say, "I'm so desperate to hear from You on these matters that I'm sacrificing something in addition to praying more fervently." Scripture is rich with examples of God meeting intimately with people - and answering their prayers - during a fast. So there are my reasons.
I've also felt God calling me for awhile to healthier eating habits. My family has been moving toward eating more natural, home-made items for several weeks. I'm trying to cook with less sugar and zero white flour. I'm not becoming a nazi about it, though. We still eat out, including Bojangles. When we're not fasting, of course.
Day 1 was much harder than Jamie and I expected. My cravings for sweets, cheese and bread came on strong. The "fast friendly" food I had prepared for us just wasn't good. For once, I did not take it personally when my husband described our dinner as "edible." We had baked oatmeal for breakfast; popcorn and fresh fruits and nuts for snacks; nut butters, all fruit jelly and bananas for lunch; spaghetti with basil walnut cream sauce for dinner and oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert. That dinner sounds really good...and we even had a fast-friendly dessert...it was all edible and not much more. It was painful pour real maple syrup on my children's pancakes for breakfast, to watch them gobble down chicken for dinner.
God knows I'm not a very diverse eater (read: my vegetables are usually smothered in cheese or sauce) so perhaps it was His plan that I got a cold Saturday night that has prevented me from really being able to taste much. I think He truly does think of everything; and I feel He's really helping this wimp who has really never had to sacrifice much to be successful.
I also got very weak throughout the day. I do not know if this was a result of the fast (no iron except from my multi-vitamin) or of two nights in a row with poor sleep. I decided at the end of the day to reward myself with success by indulging in a bowl of Kashi cereal with real milk. Not exactly an indulgence but not "fast food" either. As a first time faster, I need little rewards to get me through. It's the morning of Day 2 now, and I'm back on the wagon.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment