A Place at the Table, day 6

Hard to believe that I've done this fast for 6 days.  I know that seems like such a minuscule amount of time, but we're just under 1/6 of the way through this.  This fast has already altered the way that I look at life and food, finances and wealth, wants and needs.  And there's so much more to go.

Yesterday was one of the more difficult days of the fast.  I suppose that, if life stopped during lent and big decisions could be postponed, this fast might be easier.  But the reality of it is that life goes on despite our hunger.  There are still deadlines to be met, bills to be paid, decisions to be made, all while not feeling at the top of your game.  I don't know what it is about the second day of a fast (yesterday being the second fast day since the feast day) that is so hard for me.  I was hungry all day.  I was still sitting at lunch with a friend and felt hungry and ready to eat.  Since Tinsley was feeling better after three days of fever, we decided that we would go out and have some McAlister's.  Again, I left the restaurant feeling hungry.

And in the midst of all of this, there are a lot of things changing on the homefront -- some of which I hope to be able to talk about in the near future.  So I'm trying to honor the fast while keeping enough of my focus on life so that I am able to make competent decisions.  I'm not sure how well I'm doing with that.

But the journey reminds me about how interconnected it all really is.  I'm reminded that issues like weight and exercise, health and wholeness, finances and possessions are all spiritual issues.  A fast reminds you that you can't separate your "spiritual" life from your "real" life; they're too interconnected.  God wired us so that all of these aspects work together to make an integrated whole.  When we are struggling with a physical issue, our spiritual lives are affected -- and vice versa.  And yesterday, my life was affected by my lack of food.  It's a hard lesson to learn, but an important one nonetheless.