So, just a thought the other day about fasting. It was
a funny thought but just the same, I found some insight in it.
Daniel 10:3: “I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine
entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.”
You see, some of us fast
from the things that mean the most to us, not just food and wine. And I got to
thinking… the things that we fast from are typically the things that
mean the most to us in life. I mean, you wouldn’t fast from eating liver or chicken
gizzards, right?
For me, it would be
sweets… ice cream, chocolate, cake, candy, you name it, I crave it. I don’t
smoke, drink or … well I don’t smoke or drink. For me in my current state,
giving up sweets is the hardest. Some would give up Starbucks, shopping or something.
(I know people who would go and spend $20 a day on that stuff and complain
about money… That is neither here nor there though.)
Let’s face it, our
priorities and sense of entitlement are pretty messed up these days. (Not all
of you, of course) We have, in the program, something called a word fast. I
would LOVE to do a word fast for a week. My husband could never live without me
talking to him, of course… but I know what a blessing it would be for me.
During a word fast, you are
forced to think about all things and cannot respond. You realize that,
in the end, there are many things that are simply not important enough to
respond to and that things are always in flux. How we feel day to day, what we
say versus what we mean, what is important today, may not be tomorrow. But
again, I digress.
Imagine going three weeks
or a month without any sustenance! How do they do it?!
Luke 4:2: For forty
days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And
when they were ended, he was hungry.
You are going to do
what?? We are so pampered that we fast for a week at most. To us, that is
unbearable enough. I can’t imagine going two days without food, let alone 40! But
what does it say about us if we are unable or unwilling to release ourselves
from our dependency on these worldly things? Have we made them an idol?
The things we choose are
never the easy things to steer clear of. They are usually the hard to
give up stuff… or at least I would hope so. These things are so important to us,
you could say, that they have become idols. (I am not speaking of food now.) I
know it sounds silly but think about it. Could you give up Starbucks? Sweets?
Television? Smoking? Drinking? Swearing? Playing games on your phone, tablet, laptop
or tv? Even Speaking? What about eating at all? How long could you go?
Then I start thinking on
the flip side. Well… I say to myself… people probably say that their kids are
most important so wouldn’t it be funny if parents decide to fast from the kids?
Or their job? Or their mother in law or their husband? I would say, “Sorry, I
can’t do the laundry, I am fasting.” Or “Sorry. I am fasting from cooking,
cleaning and doing chores.” “Sorry, I won’t’ be in today. I am fasting from my
career because I have put it first for so long.” I would love to see how that
goes over. But not so much in my younger years.
I remember, in my younger
years, how important my career was. I told myself I needed the money to raise
my kids, but in reality, I also loved the challenge of bettering my last score,
getting acknowledgement and climbing the corporate ladder. And now, with our
economy the way it is, especially in places like California, we have
to live two or three families in a house just to survive… unless we are rich of
course. Under normal circumstance, I certainly wouldn’t be able to serve the
community or live here.
Then we have this massive
announcement about it. We post it on social media so that people know who is
fasting or not. Huh? The idea, in all that we are doing for the Lord, is that
we don’t advertise for attention. We are to keep it between ourselves
and God so that we do not put ourselves in the spotlight. We explain. We put it
out on social media. We might as well say, “Look at me! Aren’t I a great
Christian?”
Matthew 6: 16-18: “And
when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their
faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have
received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in
secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Even the good we do,
should be kept to ourselves. (There is a great movie about this called
Magnificent Obsession. Yes, it is old, but very well done.)
Matthew 6:1-4: “When you do good
deeds, don’t try to show off. If you do, you won’t get a reward from your
Father in heaven.
2 When
you give to the poor, don’t blow a loud horn. That’s what show-offs do in the
meeting places and on the street corners, because they are always looking for
praise. I can assure you that they already have their reward.
3 When
you give to the poor, don’t let anyone know about it.[a] 4 Then your gift will be given in secret. Your
Father knows what is done in secret, and he will reward you.”
The bottom line here, all
kidding aside, is that we must each search our hearts and ask ourselves if we
are doing what we do for the right reasons. Do we hope that people will praise
us? Do we get angry when no one acknowledges what we have done? Do we expect
someone to reciprocate? Is it for the tax write off? Do we just love the
control, the title, the money, the material things it brings? Dig deep. Uproot
the selfish ambition.
Let me tell you, I still must
check myself every now and then when I forget why I do what I do. Because I am
human, I probably always will have to make sure my motives are pure.
Isaiah 58:6: “Is not
this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the
straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
We fast to glorify only God. We let go of our idols,
no matter what they are, so that we can remember who we serve and why. When we
dig deep and break those bonds of oppression, addiction, or obsession, we free
ourselves from the evil one who seeks to keep us bound up in sin and
selfishness.
Doing good is never wrong. Better to do good wrongly
than not at all. But better to receive the rewards in Heaven than on earth. Amen?
