Hmm
I’ve been caught out re the fasting thing! One of today's challenges was to fast from
one meal and use the time to pray. The accompanying scripture speaks of Jesus “being very hungry” after his time of temptation
in the wilderness.
So
I decided that I would fast from breakfast and extend the time I normally set
aside for prayer in the morning.
What
do I really know about being “very hungry”? Almost nothing. In my prayer and
throughout the morning I kept thinking about hungry children and the agony for
mothers who have nothing to offer them. My minimal pangs of hunger
didn’t even begin to compare. Besides I knew that in my lunch hour I could eat
as much as I wanted.
When
12.30 came I almost felt guilty about
having lunch! I certainly ate no more than I normally would. And would you
believe the one letter in my mail-box was a heartfelt thank you from an
organization I support for giving hope to a family in Kenya. “When we first met
Mercy [mother] the toll of malnutrition was showing in little Lewis – crying
because of his hunger, a lack of energy, stunted growth. And the worry was
plain to see in Mercy’s face.”
Now Lewis is able to go to school and Mercy has
been given help to grow a garden with nutritious vegetables to add to his porridge.
It has been a very meaningful day. It certainly made a difference to my “fasting” that I was
specifically identifying with so many others who have no choice at all about living
through many mealtimes without food.
