January 16, 2013

One day more.

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This is day 10, the last day of my Daniel fast. I wasn’t sure I would make it past three days but here I am, one day (or less now) from a yummy pizza. I have been free of caffeine, refined sugar, dairy, meat, baked bread, and all things processed for 10 days. I believe I did it without biting anyone’s head off or pacing up and down the hall trying not to cheat and sneak a bite of chocolate. All the glory and all the praise goes to God. It was God that kept me focused and held me back from temptation. With my love of food and diet coke and wine, it was clearly divine intervention that has gotten me through these 10 days.

I was okay for the most part but last night the cravings started to get pretty strong. Maybe it was because I was looking down the slope at the finish line. I’ve been thinking pretty hard about what I want to eat first. I know, obsessing a bit? Yes, because I want to keep up the habit of daily communication with God and self control and all that the fruit of the Spirit bestows upon us. I don’t want to gorge and eat just because I can.

I’m getting a new refrigerator tomorrow. It ‘s perfect timing to throw out a bunch of stuff that’s been lingering too long in the old fridge—along with some bad habits that need to go. I know I won’t conquer them all at once, but this experience has shown me just how strong and amazing God is—He can overcome my biggest obstacles with no effort.

Thanks for all who were praying for me and supporting me during this fast. Thanks to Pastor Mark at NCC who encourages our church to do this every year. He does it for 21 days but I’m a neophyte and this is a huge issue for me so I chose to have a goal I thought was extremely difficult but not seemingly insurmountable. Maybe I should have had more faith in God who of course could get me through another 11 days. But now that I’m fixated on having my glass of wine with some cheese and bread for dinner tomorrow, I don’t think even Moses could part me from that.

So in parting, thinking about getting through today and then celebrating, I’ll give a little nod to my favorite musical, Les Miserables:

One day more!
Another day, another destiny.
This never-ending road to Calvary…

Tomorrow we’ll discover
What our God in Heaven has in store!
One more dawn
One more day
One day more!

I’m taking a poll: If you were coming off a fast, what would you want to eat first?

 

January 12, 2013

A body at rest tends to stay at rest, until acted upon by an outside force.

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I find doing something you think is hard is often not that hard. It’s getting to the starting point that’s the hardest part. Whether you’ve hit rock bottom and said okay, I’ll get off my butt and do it, or maybe just reached that point when you actually can let go of the control you think you have and hand it over to God, it takes that hard push to get moving before momentum takes over. It’s not easy—even though we are encouraged over and over again—but it really is awesome when you do and can see how God can get you through.

My attitude and habits needed to change, and I needed God to get me moving. So, now I’m on day six of a 10-day Daniel fast. I honestly didn’t think I’d make it three days but here I am thanking God for getting me through this. The thing that seems to work with God and me is I tell Him I’ll suffer the pain—cravings, hunger, desire, etc., for whatever I am trying to give up—I just need Him to keep me from succumbing to the temptation. “God,” I say, “please keep me from grabbing that bagel or coke, or whatever—just help me to not fall off this path.” And He does. He is so good to me. I am blessed so much and praise Him for family, friends, and a good life.

My friend asked me the other day if this was getting harder. In some ways it is and others not. There are moments, you know? One minute I’ll be dreaming about a cheeseburger and another I’ll be content and full after eating a veggie burger without a bun. Having said that, I did make “pizza” today that I can’t quite say was terrible but it didn’t really hit the spot. I’m not sure what I’ll eat first when I done this, but real pizza just jumped to the top of the list. Having said that, I don’t plan on gorging myself with junk when this is over. I’ve lost 10 pounds so far (yes, I know, lots of water weight, but who cares—I’ll take it). So I’m feeling pretty good and needed this kick start to a new year and a new me.

I had a goal last year that took a back seat due to all the tragedy that happened. But I’m going back to that now. I want to get in shape again so I can run around with the kids and maybe, just maybe I’ll sign up for the four-day trek to Machu Picchu. Now that is a very lofty goal. It will take a lot of veggie burgers to get there but if I keep my focus on God, maybe He’ll help me explore His beautiful world old-school style.

Do you have a dream? Do you need to restart your life? If you aren’t a follower of Jesus, I would encourage you to read the Gospels. Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. All four are the story of Christ told to different audiences. It could be just the thing to save your life. He saved mine. And He can help you too. And you don’t have to eat like a vegan on steroids to be close to Him.

 

January 7, 2013

Day one of the Daniel fast.

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The day started off with a reminder of how easy it is to be stuck in a rut. As I went to reach for my morning diet coke—the one I felt I needed soooooo much to wake me up so I could drive to work— I remembered that this was day one of the Daniel fast and instead of the soda, grabbed my water bottle.  Oh joy.

It really does take constant prayer to help you through the random parts of the day when you are doing something like fasting. In case you don’t read my blog regularly (and why don’t you is what I should be asking), the Daniel fast is a ten day (sometimes 21 days but I’m super weak and this is my first try at it) restriction of a diet. Only things that come from seeds—veggies, fruits, whole grain, nuts can be eaten and only water is a choice for drink. Nothing processed, no sugar, no dairy, no meat. Kill me now.

I asked God a few times today to curse the man who invented carbonated beverages and questioned Him on why I couldn’t have my green tea. It’s good for me God! And I’m sleeping through this Monday morning all-staff meeting because I didn’t sleep last night and really need a pick me up. Ahhhhhh!

Okay, moving on—I just want to give God a huge thank you that I’m allowed to eat peanuts and popcorn on this fast. Man did that save me today! A boring salad at lunch was not going to do it. But the juicy cantaloupe and Clementine at breakfast were fabulous. Nature’s candy!

As I drove home I knew the worst was coming. After cleaning the house and doing some chores I almost went right to bed but decided to read the Bible and have a good meal. It’s very hard to resist temptation when you are tired and hungry and that little microwavable can of Easy Mac is staring you in the face. Time to pray. Okay, got me enough strength to cook up some veggies and brown rice—yum! Actually when I first started to eat it, it was a gift from God and tasted wonderful. As it got colder it tasted less wonderful but it was nutritious and good. Praise God.

I’ve decided to read Isaiah during this fast and it is very appropriate. Tonight’s chapters discussed giving your heart to God, not just going through the motions of empty rituals. It also reminded me to not worship idols. You may be thinking of a big carved figure but idols can be anything—money, cars, fame, food, etc. It’s good to remember that we can easily get caught up placing too much importance on those worldly things. Moderation is good and God is great!

Okay, so the dog and cat are very upset that there were no meat and cheese leftovers tonight and they have gone off to sulk. I am going to partake in what may be labeled an idol—Season three of Downton Abbey. There, I said it. I confess it and will repent once the season premier is over. And I will continue to pray for help resisting temptation tonight as I sit and wish that I could have some chocolate for dessert. Oh day two, here we come.

 

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