I am writing this one week before the planned start of 7. As I contemplate what type of food fast God wants for me I have already begun to hear his voice. He's already tapping on an area that needs repentance - my pride.
See - in the past few years I have made many changes in what and how I eat. I want to list all these accomplishments and get some pats on the back. I want people to appreciate how far I have come before I lay out the next steps. However, that is not the blog God wants me to write. I hear his gentle voice telling me to stop. My desire for acceptance and my reliance on the approval of others needs to be crucified.
I just read the story of the Rich young ruler and saw something I had not noticed before. After the man tells Jesus that he has kept all the commandments, he says "what am I still lacking?" This man was doing so many things right, but he humbly recognized his own need, his own emptiness. He wanted more of God in his life.
Lord, may I also humbly ask you to search me and tell me where I am lacking. My I seek more of you, acknowledging how far you have brought me, but never forgetting that we have ever farther to go.
(Warning - that prayer is dangerous. Not one hour after praying it I found myself snapping at my husband over an old grudge I thought I had released years ago. I haven’t even started the fast and God is already shaking out my weaknesses. That is how it works for me. I fast from my comforts and the ugly hidden parts of my spirit start to show. Then I either cover them back up or let God heal them. Let’s hope I choose the second option more often.)
So - with no fanfare or history attached, here is how I will be fasting during food month:
Give up flavored water - only water, juice, unsweetened tea, and milk for beverages.
No graham crackers (my go to snack food)
3-5 meatless lunches a week
Spend as little as possible by using up what we already have (working on food waste)
I am also considering giving up pork and fast food. I don’t eat much fast food but sometimes I’m with the family and we stop there. I’ll have to ponder the exact limits on this. Lastly our family has pizza once a week. Maybe I can add salad to that meal.
I am also super excited to announce that my girls (age 9 and 12) want to travel 7 with me. This month they will be abstaining from all chips.
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Sunday, December 24, 2017
What a ride!
Just over a year ago I made some serious changes in my life including joining a 12-step program for compulsive overeaters. Little did I know that working this program would reshape not just my body but my mind as well. I have experienced spiritual and physical healing. Then the changes started to expand into other areas of my life. I became willing and able to tackle my messy house. Then I started looking at reducing my belongings. Recently I've even delved into recycling and reducing waste not to mention living frugally and ministering to the poor. I have no idea where this roller coaster is taking me, but I'm enjoying the ride.
Saturday, December 23, 2017
The 7 Experiment Revisited
Some friends of mine are planning to go through Jenn Hatmaker’s 7 Experiment starting in January and I’ve decided to join them. I went through this amazing social/spiritual experiment a few years ago (skim my blog titles to see what I learned) but it is definitely time for a tune up.
So- what is 7?
It is seven months of various types of fasting from areas of excess in our lives. Month one starts with food but it moves on to many other important arenas like possessions, media, spending, and stress. The premise is to let go of some of our comforts and to cut back on our excesses so that God has more room to speak into our lives. Fasting is an ancient tool that God gave us to increase our spiritual sensitivity and sometimes expedite His intervention. Jenn Hatmaker's prayer was "Jesus, may there be more of You and Your kingdom and less of me and my junk."
For me personally as a person with an addictive personality, 7 is a chance to break away from those things in my life that are starting to control me. When I find myself focusing on my cell phone too much and checking it first thing in the morning just in case someone messaged me, then I know it's time to back off and break that hold it is developing over me. The same can be said for tv, food, money, and so many other things. It's time to put these things back into perspective and let God have first place.
As I read the introduction to this study, Jenn explains why she felt the need to create it. She talks about entitlement and privilege and how most of us are so well off and we don't even realize it. I have to admit that the idea of privilege irks me. I don't like people assuming that because I'm white and have a full time job that my life is easy and/or that everything was handed to me. I want to justify that I worked hard for my position and that I only got to go to college through a miracle of God by way of a last minute forgiven loan program. I want to explain how I wore clothes from thrift stores growing up and my mom worked two jobs to pay the bills. I wasn't born on easy street and I don't own a silver spoon. However, as I rant about my not cushy life, I realize that I am doing exactly what Jenn talks about. I am comparing myself to people who are above me in social economic status. "See - I'm not like those rich people. I'm just a normal smuck like you." But I'm not looking down the ladder. I'm not seeing the advantages I did/do have. I was born into a family that valued work and education. I did not have to dodge bullets or fists to get to school. God gave me an intelligent mind and the desire to use it. I was born into a country that does have scholarship opportunities and college programs available to all social statuses. I am blessed.
I think part of 7 for me is to acknowledge my blessings and ask God how He wants me to use them. Too often I can fall into the 'glass half full' mentality. I got rear-ended in a parking lot recently and my inclination was to be angry at the person who drove off and at the fact that my whole plans for the evening where put on hold while I waited for the police. Only later did I realize how blessed I was to have minor damage to my vehicle and no one hurt. I need to change my perspective and embrace the blessings that God brings into my life.
The other half is figuring out what to do with my blessings. That is part of fasting also. In Isaiah 58 God tells his people that the type of fast he wants is to "loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bonds of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and to let the oppressed go free... to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh" In other words my blessings are meant to be shared with others. I'm not talking about wealth redistribution or an obligation to take care of others and I know we need to use our God-given discernment when it comes to social justice issues. However, I don't think God gave me these blessings to hoard them for myself. He has a mission for me to serve the world around me. I only need to look away from my 'stuff' and see His plan. That is what I hope the 7 experiment will allow me to do.
Lord, I want to hear your voice more clearly and follow your plan with gratitude and joy.
So- what is 7?
It is seven months of various types of fasting from areas of excess in our lives. Month one starts with food but it moves on to many other important arenas like possessions, media, spending, and stress. The premise is to let go of some of our comforts and to cut back on our excesses so that God has more room to speak into our lives. Fasting is an ancient tool that God gave us to increase our spiritual sensitivity and sometimes expedite His intervention. Jenn Hatmaker's prayer was "Jesus, may there be more of You and Your kingdom and less of me and my junk."
For me personally as a person with an addictive personality, 7 is a chance to break away from those things in my life that are starting to control me. When I find myself focusing on my cell phone too much and checking it first thing in the morning just in case someone messaged me, then I know it's time to back off and break that hold it is developing over me. The same can be said for tv, food, money, and so many other things. It's time to put these things back into perspective and let God have first place.
As I read the introduction to this study, Jenn explains why she felt the need to create it. She talks about entitlement and privilege and how most of us are so well off and we don't even realize it. I have to admit that the idea of privilege irks me. I don't like people assuming that because I'm white and have a full time job that my life is easy and/or that everything was handed to me. I want to justify that I worked hard for my position and that I only got to go to college through a miracle of God by way of a last minute forgiven loan program. I want to explain how I wore clothes from thrift stores growing up and my mom worked two jobs to pay the bills. I wasn't born on easy street and I don't own a silver spoon. However, as I rant about my not cushy life, I realize that I am doing exactly what Jenn talks about. I am comparing myself to people who are above me in social economic status. "See - I'm not like those rich people. I'm just a normal smuck like you." But I'm not looking down the ladder. I'm not seeing the advantages I did/do have. I was born into a family that valued work and education. I did not have to dodge bullets or fists to get to school. God gave me an intelligent mind and the desire to use it. I was born into a country that does have scholarship opportunities and college programs available to all social statuses. I am blessed.
I think part of 7 for me is to acknowledge my blessings and ask God how He wants me to use them. Too often I can fall into the 'glass half full' mentality. I got rear-ended in a parking lot recently and my inclination was to be angry at the person who drove off and at the fact that my whole plans for the evening where put on hold while I waited for the police. Only later did I realize how blessed I was to have minor damage to my vehicle and no one hurt. I need to change my perspective and embrace the blessings that God brings into my life.
The other half is figuring out what to do with my blessings. That is part of fasting also. In Isaiah 58 God tells his people that the type of fast he wants is to "loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bonds of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and to let the oppressed go free... to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh" In other words my blessings are meant to be shared with others. I'm not talking about wealth redistribution or an obligation to take care of others and I know we need to use our God-given discernment when it comes to social justice issues. However, I don't think God gave me these blessings to hoard them for myself. He has a mission for me to serve the world around me. I only need to look away from my 'stuff' and see His plan. That is what I hope the 7 experiment will allow me to do.
Lord, I want to hear your voice more clearly and follow your plan with gratitude and joy.
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