Life in the Fast Lane

So… I’m starting a 21-day fast on Friday.

It’s not a no-food-for-40-days-and-nights kind of thing, but the intention of it is the same really.  The point of a fast is to seek greater communion with God by using food promptings and hunger pangs to push you towards time with Him.  That’s a gross synopsis of something people write full books about, but for my intents and purposes…that’s what we’re gonna say about it right here, right now.

I wrote a post for Allume a little over a week ago for why I’m going to be doing this.  HERE is what I said about my reasons for fasting on the Allume site.

In my sphere and around blogland lately, I’ve noticed a general weariness and season of dryness for a lot of people.  And with the events of my actual life over the past few months, it’s really no wonder that I’ve felt like the Lord and I have been going through a “rough patch.”  Not that I’m not hearing from Him, or feeling loved on sometimes, because I am….but mostly there’s just been a break in the level of trust.  To walk so trustingly through 3 pregnancies that never make it full term and then to have a 4th even farther along than the others….well, it’s shaken me up a bit.  I’ve been angry, and sad, and honestly, not so sure that I even want to walk down the road of pregnancy again beyond the theorhetical idea that I’d like to do it.  In reality…I’m tired of being fruitlessly sick and pregnant.  I’m tired of the physical rollercoaster.  I’m tired of my body being through the ringer. I’m tired of not wanting or being able to even have sex because I’ve been bleeding or puking or having awful surgeries since pretty much November.  And for the record…my husband is pretty tired of that too.  For a million different reasons, this season has left me feeling kinda really dry in my relationship with the Lord.

Something has got to give.  And I need some answers to some questions.  Not questions that I won’t ever understand like “Why did this happen?”, but more things like “What’s next for our family?  Pregnancy?  Do I want to go there?  Adoption?  It’s been on our hearts always anyhow.  Where do we go from here, and how do I get back to that place of lots of trust?”

So…I’m fasting for 21 days.  21 days because apparently it takes 3 weeks to really break a habit, or in this case a pattern of some spiritual lethargy.  Starting this Friday June 1 (because 21 days is easy to count when you start from 1) I’m going to be doing a Daniel Fast.

And the reason I’m telling you here on Life for Dessert is because while I’m not going to moan and groan about it (biblically speaking that sort of ruins it), I will probably share related recipes, things the Lord teaches me, and who knows what else.  I also wanted to give any of you all out there the opportunity to join in a fast if you just need some encouragement, wisdom, answers, or clarity from the Lord.  I introduced the fast on Allume, but whether you’re a christian, female, blogger or not, I’d like to invite you to join in this time of pursuit of the Lord.

I’ll be tweeting along with anyone else who wants to do it at #allumefast, so if you want to join in, please do.  Also, I’m going to include a linky below for blog posts from any of you who would like to join in, share about what you expect from the Lord during this time or what He’s leading you to fast from/about.  Sometimes doing a thing in community is just the way to tell the Lord that we’re crying out and expecting great things from Him.  And if you just need a little encouragement or accountability…well, now you’ve got it.

**Are you in a dry season?  Have you ever felt the Lord leading you to fast?  How’d it go?  Wanna join me? 

Link up below if you want!  Will be praying for each of you as we seek the Lord fervently during from June 1-21st!

*Image Source (and resource coincidentally!)

---