Grace Community Christian Church

 

Archived Things Above

Cleansing Fast (3/20/08)

I'm in the middle of a five-day cleansing fast with Jon Bowles. He calls me a few times a day & shares intimate details of how his fast is working that would freak most people out. And I do the same. We started on Sunday night, & we'll be breaking the fast on Friday night. I'm already dreaming on that filet mignon at the Longhorn Steakhouse, but Jon says that might not be a good idea. He says it's best to start re-introducing food at a moderate pace. So maybe I'll get the 7 oz. steak instead of the 9 oz.

The little instruction sheet that came with the fasting materials (assorted pills & nutritional powder) says doing something like this on a regular basis is a good idea, even though there can be some short-term, uncomfortable side affects:

"Imagine that your body is like a fish tank that hasn't been cleaned in several years, even though you may have changed the water daily. Once you put a scrubber in the water & started cleaning the scum & build-up from the sides & bottom of the tank, toxins & debris would immediately pollute the clean water. But once that chore was done, the next batch of fresh water & the whole tank would be clean."

So hopefully next time you see me, I'll look a lot less polluted. And fresher. Stare into my eyes & maybe you'll even see some neon tetras swimming around!

The Bible indicates that there's a lot of benefit to fasting, beyond feeling better & jump-starting some weight loss. It helps us remember that life is more than food & drink. It helps us realize our utter dependence on God. It certainly reminds us just how powerful our appetites can be.

There's something about being denied something (whether by choice or force) that stirs up some pretty strong emotions. Which probably explains why right now, with two days to go, I'm feeling pretty irritable & lethargic (to which my best buddy, Grant, replied, "That's pretty upbeat for you, isn't it?") I confess: I don't like being told NO, even if I'm the one doing the telling!

Jon & I meet for lunch every Wednesday. Usually we go out somewhere, but we didn't think anyplace in town would be too thrilled to have us show up & just use their water to swallow a bunch of pills. Plus we'd probably feel pretty stupid sitting there not using any utensils or munching on oyster crackers. So I met him at his shop & we did lunch together. It was over in about two minutes. And that was with him swallowing them one at a time (I can handle up to 22 in one chug!)

My stomach is beginning to growl, loudly. Embarrassingly. And I am in countdown mode: I have six more "meals" of yucky tasting powder & grass tasting pills to endure before I get my steak. I feel like I could eat wood or chow down on a pillow. It's not that I'm hungry; I just miss the act of eating, & the enjoyment of tasting. You see, cleansing & renewal, whether physically or spiritually, is not necessarily a pleasant process. But it is one we get to choose, & we do get to do it with friends.

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11, italics mine)


Jim Dewar --