Grace, Truth, and Love

The Real Meal Plan

I don’t know if anyone’s paying attention, but I never followed up with a revised menu plan, or said anything else about the fast. I didn’t really have time the rest of the first week to implement the menu I had made. There were a few days in a row when I was out of the house for most, if not all of the day, so I just grabbed easy stuff, threw it in a cooler, and sustained myself with protein-centered snacks (examples below). This trend continued, so I didn’t cook much. I never exhausted my menu for the first week, so I never made another one. This is not how I have typically fasted in the past, but it worked fairly well for this busy season. At least as far as eating is concerned.

My meal planning usually consists of a mental process that I have made easier for myself with a mix-and-match chart: Basically, each meal consists of a protein, a starch or something pretending to be one, and a veggie that hopefully all work together in a particular type of cuisine that’s in my head, such as Mediterranean or Mexican. Again, I could have made it pretty, but I wanted to demonstrate that it’s doable. I just hope it’s readable.

So, I take a quick inventory of what I have on hand (or need to buy, if I’m making a whole menu), and I usually build a meal around a protein (such as pinto beans), which might lend itself to a type of cuisine (Mexican). Then I think, What would go well with this? Bok choy? Not exactly Mexican; try again. Avocado? Perfect. I’ll make a salad. What else can I put in it? Then I check my Greens, Other Veggies, and Misc. for additional ingredients I have on hand or that I know I’ll need to buy.

Again, I always try to use what I have on hand before I go out and buy anything. But I mostly like to graze, eating something small and snacky every 2 or 3 hours: During this fast I basically ate apples, celery or bananas with peanut butter; or celery, carrots, or grain-free crackers with hummus or guacamole; or just a salted avocado; or a handful of nuts and an apple; maybe a salad. A full-blown meal might consist of zucchini, onion, and garlic sautéed in avocado oil with basil and oregano over some quinoa. I happen to like quinoa; not everybody in my family is a fan, so I usually make a batch for myself when the rest of the family is having rice.

I never thought I would blog about food. What is happening to me?

Fasting Missions

In my last post, we looked at Isaiah 58:1-6 to discover God’s purpose for fasting, and we saw that some people were using fasting for their own purposes; looking pious while continuing their evil practices. I had to look at myself objectively and ask God if that’s what I was doing.

Remember: God’s purpose for fasting is liberty from bondage.

Here are four missions that should accompany a fast, according to verse 7:

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? (Isaiah 58:7, ESV).

So, how do we live this out?

1. Look for opportunities to feed the hungry.
2. Look for homeless people to help.
3. Provide clothing for those in need.
4. Meet the needs of other family members.

There are probably a lot of ways to apply these missions, depending on an individual’s ministry opportunities, availability, and resources. For example, feeding the hungry, for a single mom who is struggling to feed herself, might entail putting the needs of her children before her own needs; whereas a commuter might feel led to give money to a panhandler. Of course, we want to be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit; we just don’t want to be thoughtless about it.

I have to say I wasn’t very thoughtful about it. My fast is over now, but it was a whirlwind. I have never felt so distracted from the spiritual intimacy with God that fasting is “supposed to” yield. I usually feel inspired and freshly motivated to serve the Lord, and I see Him move in beautiful and unexpected ways, but this fast was different: I wasn’t as intentional about my devotional times; I skimped on prayer and worship while running out the door, and I didn’t journal through the fast, as I usually do. This is huge for me, because this is how my learning and growth take place.

At the end of the 21 days, I felt a greater sense of overwhelm and hopelessness than I had at the start, because I wasn’t really faithful to seek the Lord. It was quite uncomfortable for me to discover that my priorities were wrong, just like those God was reproving in Isaiah 58.

So, I felt the need to do it again. This time I am deliberately focusing on my relationship with Jesus more than anything else, and I’m praying about how to fulfill those other missions. I’m trying to remember that His presence is always with me, and I have purposed to talk to Him as though He were standing there, next to me, throughout the day.

Because He is.

And I believe He’s showing me how to meet the needs of others: the hungry, the homeless, the poor, and our own family members.

Remember: God’s purpose for fasting is liberty from bondage.