Confession: I reeeeally don’t like discomfort. (shocking, I know)
I don’t like inconvenience, or pain, or sacrifice, or waiting.
Thus, I HATE fasting.
This means that I had a little problem Monday, because part of my devotional reading was from Mark 2 on fasting.
Just the fact that Jesus brought the idea of fasting to my attention again was soooo irritating, and then actually considering it, and rationalizing with all the reasons I shouldn’t do it was…well, really uncomfortable for me.
Like all spiritual disciplines, fasting is just a means to an end – to help us become more like Jesus who is love. When we I think of “love” I like all the GOOD FEELS, and the affirmation that comes from doing kind things – you know…what I get out of it. But practicing sacrifice by fasting in order to get better at loving sacrificially? Uh, no thanks.
Fasting in order to better identify with what Jesus went through to draw me into closer relationship with Him? Gosh, isn’t there another way?
Fasting in order to get rid of extraneous (??) stuff so we can just focus on Jesus all day? Puleeze! The last thing I’m thinking about when I’m hungry is Jesus.
FISH TACOS for Pete’s sake! This is more my speed…
But I’m such a rule-follower that Monday I though OK (heavy sigh), I’ll fast til dinner.
About 11 a.m. I grabbed a handful of Craisins from the fridge trying not to think about what a Losey McLoserson I am, while rationalized that I was doing other sacrificial things so I didn’t really need to fast, and after all, I can do it any time I have to. I just don’t have to right now.
Can you give a sister some help here?
What has your experience been with fasting (or other spiritual practices you don’t like)?
