Befriending Your Enemies

… and one enemy in particular.  We know it as ‘the tummy rumbles’, ‘the stomach growls’, ‘the snack pangs’ and ‘feeling peckish’.  Yup.  Hunger.  THAT enemy.  Befriending hunger.  There’s a thought.

In the last month I’ve been writing about the ancient Christian discipline of fasting.  Well done if you have gotten this far.  You deserve a Lenten Medal or something.  So where better to end this short series of articles than on a topic that is important to everyone who is planning on a fast from food – or anything else for that matter.

Befriend the pang, and use it.  See it as a gift from God. 

• When a friend of mine feels the rumble of an empty tummy when fasting he turns the pang into a prayer … “Lord, may I hunger and thirst after righteousness the way I hunger for food right now.” You don’t even need to do this with real words.  The pang on its own, when felt with consciousness and intention can be an eloquent prayer for God’s kingdom to come.
•  Allow the pang to reach your heart so you develop compassion and empathy for people who are experiencing hunger through no choice of their own.
• Take the money you would have spent on the meal you are missing and give it to a mission that serves food to hungry people, or that helps people in the developing world become food secure.
• Think about how God’s love for the world is painful – much more so than the hunger pang you are experiencing.
• Meditate on Jesus’ fast in the wilderness. “One doesn’t live by bread alone.”

 Then, when you break your fast…

• Eat slowly. Let every mouthful remind you of how enjoyable eating is.  Taste the subtle and different flavors in each mouthful.
• Eat with thanksgiving, becoming reacquainted with an old friend you have been separated from for a while.
• Don’t try to make up for the calories that you missed. A huge meal on a completely empty stomach may not be good for you!

Some final warnings and tips…

• Don’t talk yourself into failure.
• Don’t start out too ambitiously.
• Don’t back off when you reach the place of discomfort.
• Stay hydrated.  Fasting from liquids is a bad idea.  Don’t do it!
• Chew gum!  Fasting will sour your breath.

 

Next week there is a good opportunity to fast from food, or some other necessity.  Good Friday.  May I invite you to miss a meal or a couple of snacks on that day and advance the Kingdom of God.  Amen.

 

Duncan