Day 1: How about this?! I get kitchen duty because Stacie is sick! I had to help the children fix up their PB&J for lunch and I am not the biggest PB&J fan but the aroma of peanut butter never smelled sooo good. Later that night we had our usual dinner at Tonio and Mari's house. What a way to start a fast! Missing out on Mari's tortillas and salsa! I prayed that I wouldn't give up so easily. I won. Thanks, God.
Day 2: Got a kick in the rear. Opened up my Bible to Sirach 37: 27. The title of section says "Controlling the appetite". Ouch! It's not like I pig out at every meal. Starting to realize how selfish I really am though. Maybe just because I want something doesn't mean I really need it.
Day 3: An idea came to me that maybe my metabolism is the slow-mo type and not like my wife's super fast-forward. Not really feeling any hunger these last three days which is weird. Thinking this is going to be easy.
Day 4: Ha! This is not going to be easy. I looked at the bathroom scale we have in the office and felt curious. I've lost 11 pounds in 3 days! Not at all doing this for weight loss and I know that this will come but sheesh! That seems like a lot.
Day 5: Almost lost it. We had a Desert Day where we go out into the desert with only our Bible. Prayed hard to hear God's voice. Opened to 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24. Verses 20-21 stood out though. "Don't treat prophecies as if they amount to nothing. Put everything to the test." I really felt the Holy Spirit calling me to go on this fast. All through the Pentecost short-term trip I kept thinking of Keith Major's testimony on his fast. Gotta check into it. Glad I'm doing this. Learning more about myself. Later this night, we had our group dinner with all of the Mexican FMC team...this is where I almost lost it. Prayed again and looked on Youtube to see where Keith was at this point. He said Day 5 is the hardest part. I wonder if he had 4 family's best Mexican dishes being served in the next room :/ The best part of the day is that I felt like I missed something...Yep! Confession! Went and got purified on the inside. Now I know how I pulled through the dinner fiasco. Got a great helping of GRACE before!
Day 6: Started feeling a little weak. Low energy. Found it kinda funny that I still wasn't getting hunger pains and that I only wanted to eat something. My attention quickly turned to God. All my thoughts lately have been about what He wants with me. How can I help Him today? I am not a gifted speaker or writer. Not highly educated. "SERVICE." Yes, that I can do. I can be a good servant. "Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening."
Day 7: Woke up with a very dry mouth. Looked at my tongue in the mirror and it was very wrinkled on the edges. It has been very hot the last few days. The dry air sucks all the moisture out of one's body quickly. Even though I've been drinking more fluids than ever it still is hard to stay hydrated. We woke early to get to Mass and then head for the communion service at the ranchos. Got asked to sub at another so we did 2. Felt great after leaving the second rancho and I felt like God was telling me something. Sundays have always been our big "family" day. All week I have not shared any meals with the fam. I felt God was telling me that it was okay to be with them all day. Battled the thought if I should break the fast or not. Felt like it wouldn't be a bad thing if I had one small meal with them. It doesn't mean that I don't have to keep going with the fast during the week. The plan is to still keep going with the fast during the week and only have 1 meal with the family on Sundays. It would be hard on Father's Day next week to not celebrate anyway. "Here's some ice-water, Dad! Just froze it last night!" Still feeling a little selfish about the choices in the Gatorades and either ice water or room temperature servings. Still seeking "comforts". How did Jesus do it in the desert??? Praying that He still guides me in this journey.
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