"Jesus the Bread of Life" (John 6): What I have learned from fasting

In the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus describes a few practices that are assumed. One is prayer ("When you pray..." Matthew 6:5), one is giving ("When you give to the needy..." Matthew 6:2) and the last is fasting ("When you fast..." Matthew 6:16). And so I try to keep up on all of those practices, to one extent or another.

Fasting is a new one for me. And it's not much fun. You see, I love food. I celebrate food. I have my favorite meals wherever I go. I get pretty specific food cravings on a regular basis. Sadly, fresh vegetables and other healthy foods are rarely among my cravings. Occasionally, though, I crave a salad. But that's beside the point. The physical act of restricting my access to food is ridiculous. My body is occasionally ready to revolt by 11:00 AM. With water, I am able to tame my body long enough to break my fast after 24 hours.

Hopefully, unless you are "in the know," you can't tell the days I am fasting. But I can feel a difference. By the end of my fast, my mind is pretty singularly-focused: I want a big meal. I want a burger. I want fries. I want a pizza (not a slice, the whole thing). Exercise only makes matters worse, because I run out of steam sooner and my physical strength, which I find pride in, falls apart. It is frustrating to fast sometimes. I bet I'm convincing you that this is a great practice, right?

But here's the deal. Jesus did not call us into a life that will always feel comfortable. Sometimes you will hunger because there is nothing around you, and sometimes you hunger because you choose to put yourself in a situation where you are completely dependent on God. You can't eat your feelings, or comfort that sneaky suspicion that you are created for something more by eating something more. No, God gets quick access into your heart and the mechanisms we use to run away are put aside for the moment. Needless to say, when I fast, I appreciate Jesus, the bread of life.

I would invite you to join me in fasting from food, technology, alcohol, TV, or whatever keeps you distracted from God.