Day 28 of this 40 Day Fast

It is hard to imagine where 28 days have gone so fast and at the same time I am ready for 40. I have lost 34 pounds and have experienced an issue over the past couple of days with low blood sugar. Where I am not eating at all I started to get really dizzy on Thursday night and even fell in the floor during the night because I got out of bed too quickly. I am pretty mindful of getting up slowly during the day but that time I awoke out of a sound sleep and just jumped up, then I had to get up again, lol.

I added a bowl of broth yesterday and this morning I took a spoonful of peanut butter and now I feel great, I actually feel as if I have eaten a full meal. At this point I will likely have a bowl of broth each day and if my body signifies that my sugar is low I will again have a spoonful of peanut butter. I have no desire to cut this 40 day fast short, but I am ready to eat.

When I finish the 40 days I plan to feast. But when I say feast I don’t mean that I am going to be reckless, I am going to feast of the things that will bring me health and not sickness. I am going to enjoy some of the things that are not the greatest for us, I still plan to eat cake but it will be a treat and not an everyday meal. I may even enjoy donuts on occasion but I won’t have the whole box. I am undecided about soda’s, I haven’t had dark sodas in more than 10 years and I definitely won’t go back to them but I may go back to having Sprite Zero but not as a habit. I will enjoy water more often with meals and throughout the day as I know it is the fuel that we need for our bodies to operate most efficiently.

One of the biggest changes that I will make is to live a fasted lifestyle. Over the past 20 years I have fasted for periods of 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 21 days and 40 days but I have never really stayed on a consistent schedule and I believe that is what is needed to be spiritually and physically my best. I have even contemplated if God calls me to another 40 day fast and I am afraid He will. If I do another one, it could be for Lent in 2013 and I believe I would like to try following the Jewish tradition of fasting 6 days a week and feasting on the Sabbath. In other words for us, I would fast every day of the week and eat the evening meal on Saturday through the evening meal on Sunday and then I would fast again. It would just be a different way of doing things and we will just wait to see if God calls me to do another one. I will be the first to say that this is difficult for many reasons. Number 1, I really love to eat, Number 2, I love the time that I spend with my family including friends and family around the dinner table, and Number 3, it is a real discipline to not eat when everything in you is screaming I want to eat.

I do not think that everyone should undertake a 40 day fast but I do believe that everyone should fast. The time period will just have to be between you and God. The Bible is clear, Jesus expected that His disciples would fast. I get all kinds of excuses as to why people cannot fast. Of course there are some with medical conditions and you cannot fast, find another way to do it. I know there are things that you do that you could discipline yourself to stop that would benefit you spiritually. However, if you are physically able and healthy, fasting will only serve to make you more healthy.

How strong are we really if we are healthy and refuse to give up food for a period of time? Especially when we know the Bible prescribes it.

Ronnie