Fasting
I'm a week into my Lenten fast with mixed results. I decided not to eat any solid food between sunrise and sunset during Lent this year (not including Sundays). So far the good points of the fast have been:
- Increased awareness of my eating habits - Nothing sharpens your awareness of what and how you eat than stopping it.
- Increased awareness of the cycles of light and dark around me - I'm charting sunrise and sunset on my computer desktop.
- Starting the day earlier - You might think this is a downside, but I'm enjoying the early start.
Difficulties have been:
- Increased irritability especially in the midafternoon - My kids have told me if I don't get a grip and stop being so snippy in the afternoon I will have to break my fast. It's good to have children who look after you.
- Having to turn down offers of food - I was at a church lunch today and I'm sure I appeared ingracious when I turned down the food, even though I explained I was fasting.
I really haven't been craving food as bad as I thought. The interesting thing about this fast, of course, is that it will become harder as the days lengthen over the next 5 weeks. The difference in daylight between the first day of Lent and the last is over 2 hours.
I'd like to say I've had some great spiritual insight in this fast, but not so far. Just working out the mechanics of it, however, has taught me some things. One thing I've started doing is making sure the kitchen is clean and ready before I go to bed. That way when I get up I can get straight to fixing breakfast without having to clean up after myself from the day before.
It's this sort of little change in habits that I love about fasts.
So, are you fasting for Lent?
Comments
The church of Christ doesn't do Lent, although individuals do do the prayer and fasting thing for their own personal reasons at various times. When I was dating Nadir, man, like 18 yrs ago, I did Ramadan with him. It fell in the spring at that time. I would get up reallly early, like 4am to have breakfast, and then go on with the day. Since I was at work most of the time, and sometimes didn't get back home until the sun was going down, it wasn't all that bad. Gradually, your body gets somewhat acclimated to it. I did drink water--some Muslims are so dedicated that they don't allow themselves to swallow saliva, but that is extreme. Of course, most women get a break in Ramadan when they hit their periods, and pregnant women don't fast at all. I saw it as a chance to relate to him better, and as a challenge. It wasn't too bad...but then, I am not a smoker. Nadir was, and before he did anything, he'd "break the fast" by sucking down like, 3 or 4 Marlboro lights in maybe 5-10 mins.!
Posted by: Leah | February 13, 2008 10:30 PM
I have fasted for 36 and 52 hours different times of my life. I would allow myself drink during these times. The first 8 hours were the toughest as my body would adjust. I probably will do a fast during this lent also.
Good luck brother hope it brings you closer to Him.
Dan
Posted by: Dan | February 14, 2008 8:19 AM
Zane and I are giving up sweets, except for Sundays, which isn't too easy but much easier than what you are doing! May it be a blessing to you
Posted by: Michelle | February 14, 2008 10:00 PM
Well, happy Ramadan, then, Lawrence! :)
Posted by: BIL Ben | February 15, 2008 4:48 PM
I have fasted before - once by choice (just wanted to see what it was like) and once because of Hazel.
The day before she was born, we went to the hospital because she was not responding in my womb. We went in at dinnertime on Monday.
Ezra went to Quizno's but I wasn't allowed to eat anything because they were pretty sure they were going to induce me the next day and I couldn't have any food in case I needed a c-section.
Hazel was born at 10pm Tuesday night - so I had been on a fast since Monday night at 6pm.
By the time Hazel was born, I was so hungry and everything was closed. A very nice nurse brought me her lunch - pimento loaf and cheese on rye. It tasted wonderful.
Posted by: tamara | February 17, 2008 6:38 PM
That's interesting. My favorite televangelist, Ed Young, also talks about fasting for Lent. I don't think he calls it "Lent," because, you know, evangelical or whatever, but The Church Channel is airing his fasting series right now, so somebody's thinking. http://www.edyoung.com/series.php?id=1532
So I've been thinking about fasting lately, but not enough to actually try it.
Yep! I have a favorite televangelist. Not sure how I feel about that, but I do know that The Church Channel... rocks. It is awesomely random. http://www.churchchannel.tv
Posted by: Liz | February 20, 2008 10:49 PM
Liz, you think that's random: you should try TCT. The programming meanders from high-brow Presbyterian discussions of the Biblical canon and scholarship, to messianic Rabbis, to a Filipino Catholic priest ("Shalom with Father Archie").
Wonder if they'd start a program starring a neurotic Minnesotan Metho-terian Communist? :)
Posted by: BIL Ben | March 10, 2008 6:57 AM
rotfl!
Posted by: Leah | March 10, 2008 4:07 PM