Fast Lessons

Two weeks passed since my friends and I went on a media fast. We pinpointed major time-wasters and cut them out for a week. We replaced aforementioned wasters with more productive activities. We had some glitches, so to speak, but overall we came out with some good observations. I'll share some of mine below.

The first day is the hardest, not that it gets easier after that. But the first day I decided to cut out internet at home because it distracted from my quiet time in the mornings. The first morning one distraction after another presented itself. I wanted to use the internet for some reason, but didn't. Then I noticed the DVD player was on, and I had to turn the TV on to turn it off. Neither of us recall leaving the DVD player on. There's the proof;technology is possessed. After that, I laughed and finished my quiet time.

I still decided to cut down on internet time at home, after I realized how strong of a pull that stupid thing had on me. I didn't need a reason, but I would just want to go online. It's insane.

One of my co-fasters said the point of fasting is what you replace it with. For me it turned out to be reading. Exercising would have worked, but I overdid it the first day. I read Ethics by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and really learned a lot from it. I even wrote better notes than usual in the book. I'm not saying this to brag, I just never felt I had that kind of time before. Stupid Tetris.

One subtle point Bonhoeffer made helped my direction in the fast. I mentioned a couple of posts back that I watched Lost and the Office with my wife, as that was quality time together. Bonhoeffer's point helped me with that realization and more.

He defined things as more than just material possessions. Think about it. Your conviction can be a thing. Your committment to fasting can be a thing. As things they can slip their way onto the throne where God belongs. If we push them off, they'll take the number two slot. What comes after love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind? Something about your neighbor. Love God and love people. If things get in the way of loving people, we need to start from scratch. And it may seem basic, but I had to remember that. I knew God was Lord over my convictions, but they were getting too close to the number two slot. Tricky little suckers.

Love God and love people. It sounds so simple, but it takes a lot of work.