Fast Frustration

I am frustrated. Being the cynic that I am, this may not be out of the ordinary to you, but to me it is. I am frustrated with how stale things have gotten lately, and I'm not just talking about spiritual or emotional things, I am talking about tangible things. I feel so distraught lately, like I am not making a difference and while I know that statistically I am, I just don't feel it inside my heart. So far, I'm sure you are thinking this is a real down and outer type of blog and I'd almost agree with you. However, don't be upset or concerned about me. I'm not going through a total meltdown, I'm just ready for more, itching for more productivity. Are you?

This past week, I visited a church in Lubbock, Texas called Church on the Rock. They seem like nice people and seem like they have a decent community there, but they are starting something today that pulled at my heartstrings and compels me to do it with them as well. They are starting a fast. A fast is simply sacrificing something in your life for advancing or bettering yourself, in this case spiritually. Protestants call it a fast. Catholics call it lent. Humanists call it streamlining your life. Self improvement gurus call it stress relief. I call it focus.

Think of something this week you wish to sacrifice for the idea of bettering yourself. This doesn't apply to just spiritual things. In fact, Biblically speaking for all my Christian readers, Mark 9:50 states we are to be at peace with one another. In fact, from Colossians 3:15 to 1 Peter 3:11 and all throughout the Bible, a call for outward peace with everybody and everything can be seen. So this call to fast can be for anything in your life; there is nothing to big or too small to deal with in life, it's all important. In fact it is sometimes the small things that ruin the big things. So starting today and for the next 40 days, join me on a "fast" of something, anything. Me? Well I doubt I could even go 3 hours without food (which is traditionally what is sacrificed in a fast), so that's out of the question. I think it will be of my time, I don't know yet. For you it may be the computer, priorities, reading material, music, or it may be food. Just make an effort to do something for the next 40 days to focus your life on what is really important again. Don't make a big deal out of it, just do it. After all, that's all a fast is, doing something for yourself, not unto others- focusing your life so that you optimize your impact on this world. Some call it self improvement. I call it clarity.

KB