An Unthinking Urge

    I am fasting today. More correctly, I remembered I am fasting this morning--I was going to start last night, but I confess I did not remember. By God's grace, I opened my email (which also contains my calendar) before I ate anything this morning. There was my reminder. There was my sudden rearranging of my day, and my hasty prayer for help. God, I wish I had remembered. Prayer and fasting are a lot better when I prepare myself.
   As a "for instance" of that--twice this morning, reading and writing, I got up off our couch and headed towards the kitchen before I thought about what I was doing. I have the definition of "plenty" just a few steps away, and it is a second nature to just picking something up in the kitchen when I am hungry. It's not a conscious decision anymore, only an urge that became a habit. In a culture of pleasure and plenty, fasting looks weird. I am hungry. Close by there is a fully stocked fridge (very full--grocery shopping was yesterday). It does not look sensible to ignore the fridge, the pantry, the cupboard, the snack collection, and continue to go hungry.
    But for the sake of something eternal, and for the friends I am praying for, I do not indulge. I minimize the amount of something good, for the sake of something better.
    Which is a startling metaphor, when it occurred to me. For it applies to more than food. Just think about it.
    Entertainment. Knowledge. Work. Friends. Communication. Organization. Volunteering.
    Very good things, in and of themselves. But we have them in overabundance. They can be had or done at any time, usually within a few minutes drive (if you live in the city. Or if you have a computer). And I did most of them recently--I watched a movie last night, read several things this morning, did laundry, even read about a friend's life. They were good.
    But how often do they distract me? Tired, my attention wanders in search of entertainment when I'm trying to study God's word. Or, if I'm lazy, I decided expanding knowledge is a good substitute for meditating on God's word, asking Him to write it on my heart. Yes, I need knowledge. But it should never replace pondering God's word. It enhances it, strengthens it, but does not replace it. I keep myself far busier than I should. I know that seriously interferes with my Biblical walk at times, simply because I am too busy to make sure my life is in accordance with God's law. I excuse something because I tell myself I don't have time to examine my justification of it. Really, I know I'd see through my justification if I examined it. How many times can I do that without singeing my conscience?
    Just because something is good and available doesn't mean it needs to be utilized. Or, to put it Biblically, "'All things are lawful,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful,' but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor." Funny, that discussion, too, was about food.
    So I will continue to do the somewhat humorous thing, and go hungry in a house full of food. And pray that God forgives the unthinking habit that continually turns my steps towards the kitchen. Because He does give us opportunities to say no, even to good things, because He gave us something better. May God bless the fasting today.