Fasting

Matthew 9 : 14 - 15

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven, " said the "Teacher" (Ecclesiastes). And so there is, according to Jesus himself. There is a time to rejoice in his presence and celebrate his goodness. There is also a time for seeking the Lord with humility and fasting. It is well known that voluntary fasting (not the involuntary starvation of millions around the world) cleanses the physical body, and makes us more aware of our real hungers. When we are not so filled and satiated, we come in touch with insecurities, with hungers we never realized existed. And this is a good spiritual remedy for over indulgence and taking our lives for granted. It is a preparation to "let go", and not always have control over our lives.

Fasting is a spiritual discipline that helps us keep watchful this Lent. It helps us sift through our desires and wants and needs.......and slowly discover what matters most, to us and to God.

I wonder how best to keep this discipline for myself this Lent. I know that I have to be more creative than just deprive myself of food. There are times when the gastric pains will make it difficult to function and work. One of the things I usually do is simplify my diet - to eat to live, rather than live to eat (as most Malaysians do). But there are many other excesses that I can look into - for example my love for reading that sometimes leads me to buy more books than I could read! Simplify life - for example, less TV, less idle chatter and we could create more time for prayer, just being with the God who loves us and for doing the things he would have us do in his name.