As an adult, I've liked the idea of "giving up something" for Lent. Fittingly, I'm currently reading Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster along with a group of moms, and the next chapter on our reading schedule is on fasting. Although completely fasting from food hasn't been an option for me for quite some time, since I've either been nursing or pregnant going on seven years straight now, I am drawn to the idea of fasting from things besides food (though I do realize I could choose to fast from one particular food item). And in our current modern culture, there are plenty of options for various "distractions" that we would do well to fast from for a time.
Reading Celebration of Discipline today, one particular passage (on page 55) stood out to me:
Fasting reminds us that we are sustained "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). Food does not sustain us; God sustains us. In Christ, "All things hold together" (Col. 1:17). Therefore, in experiences of fasting we are not so much abstaining from food as we are feasting on the word of God. Fasting is feasting!
With that in mind, I am choosing to fast from some particular distractions in my life, but more importantly I'm planning to "feast" on some Christian reading. Currently on my list of reading for Lent:
The Autobiography of George Muller
The Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton
The Life and Diary of David Brainerd
Not sure if I'll get through all these, or if I'll be looking for some additional books in a few weeks! Currently there are a couple of posts up at Conversion Diary on the topic of Lent, including some book recommendations, if you are also looking for some books to read for Lent.
