Lent: Off To Works I Go


I have decided to observe a Lenten fast from snacking between the meals of lunch and dinner. Typically, I come home and try to bribe the beast in the belly by eating a varied collection of foodstuffs. I am not discriminating. Anything goes...down the chute.

I am not trying to gain God's approval for this fast. I am already accepted and redeemed. I just need some of the fruits of  discipline. Or perhaps, vegetables would be a better outcome.

Hunger is really not justified because I have a gut reserve, like a gas tank, with plenty of fuel ready.

So, why am I hungry. Habit, loneliness, boredom? I have no clue. Yesterday I was at Books-A-Million at the former Borders in York--definitely down-scaled but I am glad a bookstore is back in that spot--and drank some coffee while flipping through a photo history of the Beatles. We had Parent/Teacher conferences at school last night and I typically don't drive back to Lancaster. So, get off campus for a spell. It is no fun to be at school from 7:15 am to 9:00 at night.

During the hour and half there at BAM, my stomach was growling. Then, it stopped after an intense period of pain. My stomach is like a spoiled child who cries until he gets what he wants. Well, last night I decided to not give in and instead rode it out with resolve. My stomach eventually stopped crying.

Being in a state of hunger is good spiritually  Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" in the Sermon on the Mount. I know I have probably said it in this blog before, but how can we know what this really means unless we are actually hungry for more than just a minute or two before gobbling down some crap laying around? We have to wait to be filled, and that waiting, increases appreciation and rightly centers our appetite.

May we hunger for that which truly satisfies our souls...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shake the Dust: Anis Mojgani

Pslam 90:2 "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." I am not real certain where Anis Mojgani comes from belief-wise. Cats like him tend to be synchrestic spiritually rather than Christ-centered. Yet, this poem captures the spirit of Jesus. What this poem also needs is grace....we shake off sin and mortality and take on Christ and immortality. This is for the fat girls This is for the little brothers For the former prom queen And for the milk crate ball players This is for the school yard wimps And the childhood bullies that tormented them Shake the dust. This is for the benches and the people sitting upon them. This is for the bus drivers driving a million broken hymns And for the men who have to hold down 3 jobs, Simply to hold up their children. For the nighttime schoolers And for the midnight bike riders trying to fly Shake the dust. For the two year olds who cann
Read more

White Shoes, White Stones

Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it. (ASV) With the white stone mentioned above in the Scripture verse, "And will give him a white stone" it is "Supposed that by the white stone is meant pardon or acquittance, and the evidence of it; and that there is an allusion here to the custom observed by judges in ancient times, who were accustomed to give their suffrages by white and black pebbles; those who gave the former were for absolving the culprit, those who gave the latter were for his condemnation." (Clarke) What has brought about this essay was my purchasing the other day of some very white and new Nike jogging shoes. My old pair of Nike's have been worn down. I was developing serious pain in my feet which is a solid sign that it is t
Read more

Going Rogue: Dare, Risk, Dream

Image
I picked up a bumper sticker at a Pub recently from the Rogue Brewery . On it there are the words: DARE, RISK, DREAM. Typically, the word Rogue is a negative term. I will let you decide if Sarah Palin and her book has made the word less or more so. Initially, I taped the bumper sticker to my computer lap top with the backing still on it in case I wanted to remove it. Just a second ago, I committed fully, and pulled the backing off and affixed it to my Dell. No turning back. Is that not an illustration of how to accomplish great things? We have to stick and commit. If we go taping ourselves to the backs of things, it leads to easier removal but also to tepid efforts. Now, if I take this bumper sticker off the back of my lap top it is going to be a mess...I am all in. Consequences be damned. My summer vacation officially began today at noon (why else would I be blogging at 3:26 am?) and my creed for the summer is DARE, RISK, DREAM. A Kerouac quote to light the fireworks... "Great th
Read more