do hard things

awhile ago i was aware that the youth at my church were doing a series called "do hard things." i wasn't in for any of it, but the title of it keeps running through my head...


my church is a few days into a 21 day fast. it's our jubilee year. we're looking back in appreciation for all God has done and looking ahead to the greater things He's going to do in our church, community, city, country. we're expecting God to do great things this year, and we're basing this expectation on the james 5:16 principle that earnest prayer has great power and produces wonderful results. oh, and also on the 2 chronicles 7:14 principle that God responds when we pray, seek Him, and turn from sin :-)


a specific kind of fast was suggested as we enter into this jubilee year--the daniel fast--taken from daniel 10:2-3 where daniel basically says, "i ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth." earlier, daniel describes the fast as consisting of vegetables and water (1:12).


i've looked at a few websites, and the gist of this fast is fruit, vegetables, water. no meat, no dairy, no sweeteners, no bread. you can have whatever comes from a seed, as far as i can tell. and nuts, according to some sites.


it seems like there are a several versions of this fast, and anyone doing it has probably modified it. i'm sure there are as many variations as there are people doing it. some people will be very literal and by-the-book, doing just vegetables and water. others will have tweaked it some to include things like juices and tofu, for instance. and can i just add here that no one's fast is better than someone else's. mine isn't better than yours or a greater 'religious' experience because of what i've given up, and vice versa :-) oh, and while i'm on the 'better than' rant, can i just add that this kind of corporate fast is a little different than the personal fast that is done less openly. don't misinterpret this kind of fast as being pharisaical just because it's being done openly; it's not. it's a call to fast in whatever way you can...


but the point is that it's supposed to be difficult, no matter what you're fasting. my pastors explained that biblical fasting is predominantly about giving up food, but in this day and age when so much time is spent on media, entertainment, etc., it's also reasonable to give up anything along those lines that you'd miss. and it's about giving up those very things that you would particularly and especially miss! reality tv, soap operas, excessive shopping, and liver would have been very easy for me to give up, and would have been no sacrifice...so, because i desperately want to get God's attention and show Him i mean business, i decided i needed to do something harder. harder for me.


my pastors said things like this on sunday: fasting is about denying your appetite (and not just your appetite for food); fasting should be uncomfortable; you ought to miss what you're giving up or it's not worth giving up; fasting is about giving up what's near and dear to you. i didn't feel like the daniel fast was the right sacrifice for me. i felt like it would be too easy for me. fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and water are major in my diet. this would have been a cakewalk and i didn't want to short change myself by taking a way that would be easy for me.


i immediately knew what i had to give up...knew what the things were that would fit all the descriptors given for fasting that would cause me to feel the effects of what i'd given up. which brings me to my point. although this fast is a very corporeal event being engaged in by my church body, fasting is very personal. only i can do it. only i can give up what's nearest and dearest to me. sounds silly and obvious, i know, but it's true. the hard thing i knew to do was something only i could do.


the things i've given up would be very easy for some. and the same is true for me. i could have given up video games and facebook and tv easily because they're not a major part of my daily routine. i can take 'em or leave 'em. i could have embraced the daniel fast and it wouldn't have been much different than what i was already doing, with the exception of the absence of meat. i knew what it had to be for me; i knew what it was that would leave me feeling the effects of my fast. and the absence of these things are constant reminders that i'm supposed to be talking to God about this being the best year ever. the lack i feel is meant to be replaced by spiritual things, and not just about replacing hours of facebook with hours of tv, for instance.


for anyone reading this, my simple thought is this: you know that hard thing you've been feeling you should do? do it. maybe it's not a 21 day fast where you give up something you'll miss incredibly...but it might be. maybe it's talking to someone about the peace and joy you've found. maybe it's spending time with a shut-in. maybe it's making right a wrong. maybe it's forgiving and letting go. maybe it's spending less time here and more time there. maybe it's giving your time and talent in an area you've noticed needs help. maybe it's limiting your contact with negative influences. maybe it's taking a stand when no one else does. 


you know what that hard thing is for you. i dare you to do it. and just wait and see how God responds..."then will i hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 chron. 7:14).