Off to a Fast Start

So I had the bright idea about a month ago to leave my twenties, and thus my youth, with a bang.  I decided I would take the 30 days leading up to my 30th birthday to try 30 new things. Well that month went by in flash and my final days of youthful bliss are upon me.

Day 1: Fasting

I have heard people talk about it. I've watched some go through the experience. I was familiar with the biblical precedents.  Even with all that, fasting never quite made it onto the 'ol to-do list.  So when I began compiling my list of new things to try it was finally time to take the plunge. I figured that starting my challenge by fasting I would accomplish two very important things.  First, I would get it out of the way.  No food the first day, delicious mouth watering food the remaining 29. Second, and perhaps more importantly, I thought that beginning with a fast might put me in the right frame of my to get the most out of my experience for the next month.

So here are might insights after a day with no food:

First, fasting for even just a day, makes you really appreciate what you have.  I mean lets face it, I was starving by mid morning!  As I sat there with my belly gently rumbling in the background I couldn't help but think of the people all over the world that live life every day, all day, with the constant discomfort of an empty stomach.

Second, I always understood fasting to be the practice of filling the void of physical food with spiritual nourishment, and that the times of day set aside for eating would be dedicated to taking in the scriptures instead of taking in calories.  Well in my experience it doesn't exactly happen that way.  I had this grand notion that I would wake up, read my Bible a little instead of eating breakfast, then I would go about my day.  Then, around lunch time, I would take another break from my day and reflect a little more, and then continue on with the rest of my day.  Yeah right!  Thanks to my constant hunger pangs I was constantly in reflection. Everytime I thought about being hungry I thought about why I was doing this and thus I thought about God.  I've never thought about eating so constantly, but I've also never thought about God so constantly. Fasting isn't a little bit here and a little bit there kind of activity, it's an all day event  And for me it was an all day reminder of God's presence in my life and all the blessings he's given me.  (And by blessings I mean food!....Okay, I've been blessed with a lot more than food, that was just my hunger talking!)

And so, thus ends the first day of my 30 day adventure.  I have 29 more days to fill my youth with as many exciting new experiences as possible.  Now I'm off to bed because the sooner I fall asleep, the sooner I can wake up and EAT! I'll leave you with Deuteronomy 8:3, "He humbled you, causing you to hunger...to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."