40 Days of Fast Can Go Slowly

An Olympic athlete recently posted on Twitter that she became "hangry" from not finishing her breakfast. 'Hangry' is becoming angry because of being hungry, and it points up one of our weaknesses as humans. Not eating, or abstaining from something we enjoy, can leave us cranky, and needing to apologize for mistreating others (and yes, an apology is necessary!). This season of Lent is one in which many people 'give up something for God' but often, we can simply get 'hangry' instead, and the time passes very slowly without the benefit of being spiritually strengthened. Can we beat that?

Jesus' example of fasting for 40 days before beginning his ministry, is one of the sources of the 40-day Lenten 'fast.' He went to the wilderness, away from distractions, and lived without relying on comfort, food or water. Maybe that perspective helped him say to his tempter, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Author Lisa Cressman writes "Fasting helps us discover what we believe we can't live without...all of which we can live without because God alone is the source of our life and breath, our contentment and joy." Furthering that thought, she writes "Our reactions to fasting reflect what is in our souls: that other things are more important to us than God." Ouch!! Yes, fasting reveals that we would rather feed our bodies (or our desire for X,Y, or Z) than our souls.

There are many items besides a certain food, from which we could 'fast' during Lent. How about giving up:
-Having the last word
-Being right
-Being important
-Feeling rich by using a credit card
-Packaged entertainment like movies, TV, video games and novels
-A favorite routine or part of your day
-Irritation at ______ (fill in the blank...for me, it's other drivers)

Using the time and energy we would have used on those activities, to 'feed our souls' instead, would strengthen our spiritual, inner life. And of course, getting 'hangry' from not having our favorite habit, might be a good indicator that it's become too important. So however you do it, try not to let the time go by too slowly by thinking about the thing you'd rather have/do -- instead, when that thought comes up, re-direct it to refreshing yourself in God's word, in prayer, or in serving someone else. 

After all, "man does not live by ____ alone..." right?