Seven

A couple weeks ago Dan and I were praying about some decisions and Dan brought up the idea of doing a fast.  Now, before you call my doctor on me, don't worry, our fast was not a typical "food fast."  We decided to do a media fast.  I said goodbye to blogging, pinterest, facebook, mindless internet browsing, twitter, tv, radio... trust me there were a LOT of things we could give up in the media realm to allow us to focus on prayer and seeking God.  Then, in our couples study that week we came to the part in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus talked about fasting, and then a friend in my other Bible Study gave me a book called, "7, An Experimental Mutiny against Excess" by Jen Hatmaker which focused on fasting (without even knowing we were thinking about this).  Something told me this fast was something that God wanted me to do, and this book really showed me the importance of fasting.

Before I talk about this book, I do have to give some disclaimers.  I can't say that I 100% agree with everything in her book.  I believe there were some harsh judgments made about the church, and that at times she pushed her own "agenda" without biblical support.  Unfortunately, at other times, I felt some of the biblical support that was used, was manipulated in such a way to support her agenda.  Now, I know those things sound bad, however, while I felt it necessary to include those disclaimers, I did feel this book challenged me in a way that I needed to be challenged and she did make me look at the importance of fasting in a new light.

Here's the premise of the book: for 7 months she fasts from 7 different things: clothes, shopping, waste, food, possessions, media, and stress.  There are things that stood out to me from each chapter, but here are just a couple:

FOOD

Her first chapter was really convicting for me.  Hatmaker chose to eat only 7 foods for a whole month, and it really opened her eyes to how she thought about food.  As a result, it got me thinking about how I really need to pay more attention of the type of food that enters my body.  While Dan and I don't have the room in our budget to start shopping at Whole Foods and buying purely organic, I do have the ability to watch how much processed food I eat.  Hatmaker says, "I haven't had a glass of orange juice in four years, but I've had no problem drinking Diet Coke, with substantiated links to cancer and kidney failure.  But it's fat free.  My nutritional perspective is so tainted by marketing I've lost touch with common sense." pg. 38. Ouch.  I can relate all too much to this.  Focusing purely on calories and not on nutritional value is not healthy or smart. 

POSSESSIONS

Another thing to note about this book is that it is written in the form of a journal, and some of the things she writes are downright hilarious and literally made me laugh out loud.  Like this comment made in her chapter on possessions regarding getting rid of excess items in her home: "And don't get me started on blankets.  I am uptohere with blankets.  It's not like we live in the frozen tundra or don't enjoy a $250+ month electric habit.  We are not the Ingalls living in the Big Woods while our children, Caroline, Laura, and Mary, huddle together for warmth.  I should invite Michael Jackson's son, Blanket, to live here among his own kind." pg. 78

On a more serious note, she also comments how, "Although my stuff is decreasing, what matters is increasing in equal measure."  pg. 61.  Since it is Lent and typically Christians tend to "give up" something for 40 days, I have received multiple devotionals on fasting.  Anne Voskamp makes a similar comment when she says, "I need empty places so He can fill me...fasting is letting go of more of the world, to lay more hold of God."

At one point Hatmaker explains what she would tell "the 2004 Jen;" she says that she would drive around with her "2004 Jen" to all the extravagant neighborhoods in Austin with their meticulous landscaping and beautifully groomed women with killer wardrobes and perfect bodies, and tell her "This is all meaningless: substitute happiness.  This vicious trap will capture you with no mercy if you get too close.... I would assure her that this affluent lifestyle is a horrible goal.. and that she would be stunned where true happiness actually comes from."  pg. 107

MEDIA

Hatmaker shares some interesting statistics regarding media and how we struggle with focusing on one task for more than 20 minutes without checking our email or twitter, etc.  While I found the statistics she shared pretty interesting, something else she shared really hit me: "I'm just beginning to embrace the liberation that only exists at the bottom, where I have nothing to defend, nothing to protect.  Where it doesn't matter if I'm right or esteemed..I wonder if that's the freedom Jesus meant when He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  In order for Jesus' kingdom to come, my kingdom will have to go, and for the first time I think I'm okay with that." pg. 109

It seems like getting rid of our agenda and stuff allows us to more clearly see Jesus.  

SPENDING

For me, one of the most thought provoking and challenging things said in her book was this: "What Jesus says about the wealthy is that it is terribly hard for "us" to receive the Kingdom.  If this is true, then more than fearing poverty, we should fear prosperity." pg. 159 I can honestly say that while I have feared the thought of not having enough money or stuff, I have never feared becoming too rich that it would negatively effect my relationship with God.

STRESS

In this chapter she really advocates for building a Sabbath into our schedule.  I can't argue with her when she says that the average American is really busy, and we don't stop.  We keep filling our calendars and racing from one activity to the next.  Most of our days we are trying to keep the wheels on and not living in the moment.  pg. 180

In conclusion, she advocates the practice of fasting because it changes you.  "It helps you develop mastery over competing voices in our heads that urge us toward more.  Believe it or not, God can still change us... and not just change our habits, but our hearts." pg. 219.  While she fasted for 7 months on 7 different things and I only fasted for one week... on one thing, I can say I can already agree with this statement.  Just a week of "giving something up" for God already drew me closer to Him.  As Christians we have to remember that Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount "When you fast..." not "Try to fast" or "If you can squeeze it in this is good for you to do.."  He is assuming we are fasting.  And for someone who doesn't fast, this was really convicting.