Have you ever fasted?  I mean seriously fasted?  Biblical “fasting and praying” is what I’m talking about.  This has always been one of those topics that was just kind of “out there” for me.  Don’t get offended: I don’t mean that I think it’s crazy or that only weird people do it.  I mean it is kind of beyond me.  I think I know its purpose: to rely more fully on God and to deepen an intimacy with Him.  Also, people will sometimes fast while they’re praying for something really specifically important and fasting is supposed to add more weight to it, I think.  But overall, it really holds a type of mystery to me… like, how does not eating make God hear you more?  How does it make you focus more?  (Because honestly, I’m focusing on the fact that I’m hungry, not on what I’m trying to pray for.)  Well, in any event, I tried it once and it didn’t go so well. 

It was a few years ago and I can’t even remember what I was fasting about.  This fast fell under the second purpose that I listed above; I was specifically praying for someone else.  For me, fasting just didn’t “take”.  I can’t remember my prayers being deeper or feeling closer to God than I did normally.  I just remember feeling very, very hungry.  I was only fasting for 24 hours and when I finally ate, it made me so sick!  I fell asleep almost immediately after eating (dude, I was at someone else’s house!) and when I woke up, I had terrible gastrointestinal issues (still at someone else’s house)! 

I remember Justin being upset with me for fasting.  He explained to me, in that oh-so-doctorly way, that I was unhealthily starving (redundant?) my body.  (Now this is based on what I remember of what he said, so it could be completely misconstrued.)  I think he was basically saying that my body went into conservation mode because it thought there was a serious possibility that food would not be available for a while.  Once I did eat, my body had to kind of re-establish its equilibrium – hence the recuperative sleep and, um, detoxification.  My body, which was not privy to my plans, was taking biological steps to preserve life.

Here’s the deal, though.  I knew in my head that I would be eating again.  I knew that there was food in my refrigerator and that if at any time I suspected myself to be on the brink of death, I could open it and have a piece of cheese or something.  So, I wasn’t actually relying on God for anything.  It wasn’t like when Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and there was literally nothing to eat.  That was so amazingly different.  If I went to a desert, I would be relying totally on God and that would make more sense.  But simply choosing to not eat is beyond me.  I just don’t know how to make it work.  Kind of like speaking in tongues or healing people.  (I know, BBBs, those are spiritual gifts and fall into a completely different category.  But in my mind, they fall into the same one:  “How Come I Can’t Do It and How Come I Don’t Understand It?”)

Okay, well, I’ll just have to resign myself to that one for two reasons: one, God just hasn’t taught me yet and two, my husband gets upset if I skip a meal.  (He gets all up in my grill about what I eat!  Like I’m wasting away or something!)  Back to the point…  I’m going to try a new type of fasting.  But, it’s modified.  Significantly.  This is electronic fasting!

Yep.  I’m talking mainly about the computer here.  I spend too much time on the computer largely due to my excess of free time lately.  It’s probably not “wrong,” but it probably is wasteful.  (Everything is permissible, but not everything is profitable.)  It won’t be a true fast in that I will still be using the computer.  But, instead of being on it all day long piddling around until someone writes on my facebook wall or something, I will limit myself to one hour per day.  This includes everything on the computer.  I don’t play games on the computer, generally, but it includes that.  It includes email, blog, facebook, looking up directions, researching, everything. 

I will have to plan very carefully what I will do in my hour!  My fast begins at midnight tonight (I have nine minutes!) and ends at midnight Thursday.  A three-day fast.  Hopefully, this will encourage more productive activities.  Of course, I’ll be reading more.  But, I already read a lot.  I may have to enact a reading fast next…   

Ultimately, though, I pray that it helps me clear some of the junk out of my mind and really focus on Who’s Important.  We’ll see if this fast is more effective in my life than the “real” kind!