Monday, May 31, 2010
The Hunger Project - Day 2
At 4:00 this morning...my alarm woke me abrubtly. Day 2 had begun and I was on my way to face a 10 hour work day. Work was INSANEly crazy thanks to the fact that it was memorial day. We had our truck delivery... we unloaded 4000 lbs of ice and a bunch of other crap. Needless to say...it was a physically more demanding work day than most. However, the fact that my day was so busy was such a blessing. I didn't even have time to take a break, which...honestly kept my mind off the fact that I was hungry. Praise the Lord! I was invited to my sister's place for a BBQ, but...I opted not to go in order to resist any temptation. So...after work I came home to visit my parents...in the middle of dinner. My mom said she felt bad for eating in front of me, but...it was ok. I grabbed myself a glass of water and sat down. My dad also asked me to go golfing...so...away I went! I picked up a powerade on the way and drank it throughout the round of golf. I have consumed maybe 50 calories in the last 48 hours...and so far so good :) However, I have noticed my joints have been hurting more than normal...but for now I am blaming that on the 4000 lbs of ice I had to unload. Day 2 is nearly gone...and God has been faithful in sustaining me. Bring on day 3!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
The 40 Day Hunger Project
Have you read the book or seen the movie Julie and Julia? If you haven't...allow me to give you a brief synopsis: A woman by the name of Julie decides to find a sense of fullfillment in her life by setting a goal. The goal? To cook her way through Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" containing 500+ recipes in one year and blog about it everyday. As I watched this movie for the second time...I began developing a similar idea: give myself a goal and blog about it to keep some form of accountability.
So...what should my goal be? I searched my heart and hardly had to think twice about what I needed to do. For about a year now, God has been instilling in my heart the importance of fasting. I thought I had been really great about this fasting thing...I mean, I did a Daniel Fast for lent this year...and...earlier this year I fasted food for 11 straight days! So...I have to be doing this fasting thing right...right?! Well...I don't think I have been doing it right...at least not for me. I find myself in a position where God truly wants me to be hungry for Him. So far...the fasting I have done has been rather easy and not much of a challenge to me. Is it really fasting if it's easy?! I don't really think so. The Daniel Fast forced me to give up certain foods...but...I never went hungry. Fasting food for 11 days was a little tough, but...my goal had been 21 and I had given myself an excuse to quit early. I have yet to truly fast to the point where I am literally relying on God for strength to get through my day...increasing my hunger for his love and testing my faith.
So, today i'm starting what I am calling a hunger project. At first...I thought I'd give myself a goal of 21 days. Nothing but water for 21 days. However, the more I meditated and prayed...I feel God wants me to be really hungry. Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights before he was crucified. Jesus had to completely rely on his father for strength...and Jesus had the faith in his father to bring him through his fast. I want to know a faith like that...I want to have that hunger God is calling me to have. So...this is it...my 40 Day Hunger Project.
I've been told that starvation doesn't set in until after 21 days, however...for the average American I am sure that number is quite a bit higher. So...40 days. 40 days is the goal. However, I am not going to do a "nothing but water for 40 days" fast. I feel I need to personalize the fast for me as an individual. I will be drinking water and gatorade throughout the fast because I have an obligation to honor my employer by being able to still perform mentally and physically 50 hours a week. I will also allow myself to have 1 Slim Fast on Wednesdays throughout the fast as I will be needing extra energy to also honor my teammates by being able to perform athletically for my Wednesday night softball games.
By gaining hunger for the Lord through fasting...I truly believe I will gain insight for my life and be better able to see the path God has set before me. You see...fasting is like an intense form of prayer. Not only does it test your faith in God to see you through...but it forces you into a state of action. The book of James tells us that "faith without action is dead." It does no good to pray with faith if you're not willing to put a little action behind it. God is not a cosmic genie or mystical Santa Claus. He requires us to step out in faith. Taking a step is an action. Fasting is me...taking a step...becoming hungry for God.
At 4am this morning...Day 1 of the 40 Day Hunger Project officially began. July 8th will mark the end. Should you find yourself reading this, I ask for prayer as I endure my fast. I also invite you to join me in fasting...if only for a day. Know that I am fasting with you and you with me. Where ever two or more are gathered...God does big things.
Hungry,
Tami
So...what should my goal be? I searched my heart and hardly had to think twice about what I needed to do. For about a year now, God has been instilling in my heart the importance of fasting. I thought I had been really great about this fasting thing...I mean, I did a Daniel Fast for lent this year...and...earlier this year I fasted food for 11 straight days! So...I have to be doing this fasting thing right...right?! Well...I don't think I have been doing it right...at least not for me. I find myself in a position where God truly wants me to be hungry for Him. So far...the fasting I have done has been rather easy and not much of a challenge to me. Is it really fasting if it's easy?! I don't really think so. The Daniel Fast forced me to give up certain foods...but...I never went hungry. Fasting food for 11 days was a little tough, but...my goal had been 21 and I had given myself an excuse to quit early. I have yet to truly fast to the point where I am literally relying on God for strength to get through my day...increasing my hunger for his love and testing my faith.
So, today i'm starting what I am calling a hunger project. At first...I thought I'd give myself a goal of 21 days. Nothing but water for 21 days. However, the more I meditated and prayed...I feel God wants me to be really hungry. Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights before he was crucified. Jesus had to completely rely on his father for strength...and Jesus had the faith in his father to bring him through his fast. I want to know a faith like that...I want to have that hunger God is calling me to have. So...this is it...my 40 Day Hunger Project.
I've been told that starvation doesn't set in until after 21 days, however...for the average American I am sure that number is quite a bit higher. So...40 days. 40 days is the goal. However, I am not going to do a "nothing but water for 40 days" fast. I feel I need to personalize the fast for me as an individual. I will be drinking water and gatorade throughout the fast because I have an obligation to honor my employer by being able to still perform mentally and physically 50 hours a week. I will also allow myself to have 1 Slim Fast on Wednesdays throughout the fast as I will be needing extra energy to also honor my teammates by being able to perform athletically for my Wednesday night softball games.
By gaining hunger for the Lord through fasting...I truly believe I will gain insight for my life and be better able to see the path God has set before me. You see...fasting is like an intense form of prayer. Not only does it test your faith in God to see you through...but it forces you into a state of action. The book of James tells us that "faith without action is dead." It does no good to pray with faith if you're not willing to put a little action behind it. God is not a cosmic genie or mystical Santa Claus. He requires us to step out in faith. Taking a step is an action. Fasting is me...taking a step...becoming hungry for God.
At 4am this morning...Day 1 of the 40 Day Hunger Project officially began. July 8th will mark the end. Should you find yourself reading this, I ask for prayer as I endure my fast. I also invite you to join me in fasting...if only for a day. Know that I am fasting with you and you with me. Where ever two or more are gathered...God does big things.
Hungry,
Tami
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