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The Waiting Game
What is nourishment for the spirit and soul when waiting is hard?
Whenever we have to wait for something, whether it’s our turn in a queue, for an important appointment, a train or bus, our ship to come in…or anything we’re looking forward to – it can seem like an eternity.
Waiting is not my favourite pastime, which is why I find sometimes I need a distraction.
I’m not talking about being glued to my mobile (the number one distraction for most people)!
What can we do to help keep things in perspective?
Fast!
A fast from food, that is.
In my 20s and 30s I attended a church where we fasted one day every year on the Day of Atonement. (Leviticus 23:27-28).
It signified the time when mankind will finally be “at one” with God.
It was your choice to fast any other day of the year as well!
Now I’m talking 24 hours with absolutely no food or drink of any kind, not even water.
The most we could do was brush our teeth and rinse our mouths.
Boy, did that toothpaste taste good!
Was it tough? Of course!
At least for the first few times. After a while you get more used to it so it’s somehow more manageable.
There used to come a point during the day when I thought I couldn’t continue with it but once I got past that point it almost felt like I could go another day!
The Final Hour Is The Darkest
One thing that never changed for me though, was the final hour.
You know how it’s darkest just before dawn? Well you’re hungriest just before your fast ends!
That final hour seemed like Time…Stood…Still.
Preparation Is a Sound Idea!
My advice if you do venture on a 24 hour fast is to have some food prepared for yourself beforehand, for the time you are due to break the fast.
I learned the hard way that indigestion is not a joke!
Mind you, this was because I usually ended up at a guest’s house to have a meal.
The problem was she didn’t start cooking until the fast was over.
So it ended up more like 27 hours or so!
By this time the expectation of food from both my body and mind had taken its toll.
Not For The Faint Hearted
Wish I could sugar coat it but the reality is it’s not for the faint hearted.
Only for the determined.
Decades later I “graduated” to the “Esther fast.” (Esther 4:16)
This is no less than three whole days without food or water. These days obviously need to be structured with prayer.
Is it tough? As old boots!
At least for the first few times!
After the first time I declared “Never again!”
I said the same thing the second and third times.
Then along came the fourth time…
I should say these were spaced years apart.
Nourishing Oranges, Anyone?
By the fourth and third times I actually wasn’t very hungry for the first two days miraculously.
But oh boy, the third day!
Just like the “final hour”, by mid-afternoon on the fourth round, I could actually smell imaginary oranges!
Time was not only standing still…
It was going backwards..!
“But Joyce, why would you even do that to yourself?”
Yes indeed, by the final hour this is what I ask myself as well.
The thing is, fasting does actually have a lot of benefits in spite of it all.
First of all there is some weight loss as a positive side effect for those who welcome it.
Although to be honest I can usually lose more weight if I’m actually eating healthily in the same period.
In any case the proper reason for the fast is to focus on spiritual and heavenly things.
We are proving to ourselves that we mean business about our prayers and we’re more hungry for spiritual food than physical.
By the end of the fast we feel blessed to have accomplished the feat and a closer connection to the Almighty.
During this time we can dedicate ourselves to prayer and reading scriptures to more clearly find direction and encouragement.
Sometimes drastic situations call for drastic measures.
It’s Your Call
Now whether or not you choose to fast is entirely up to you of course.
My point is that fasting is an example of how tough times never last, even if in this case the tough time is a choice.
Even when we go through tough times not of our own making, while it’s true that those times are unpleasant, they usually serve to propel us to higher ground.
We may not know when exactly it will end but could it just be that it’s getting worse because it’s about to get better?
Don’t give up! A fast may be just what you need to refocus and get a second wind.
