Never Too Late to Fast from Wrong Thinking
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 06:00AM 
Those of us who are late bloomers probably arrived at that fate by dragging our feet to admit weaknesses, ask for help, and take suggestions. I'm sure that is my case, at least. One of the reasons God allows us to go through the pain and heartache of both our mistakes and the world's unkindness, is to train us in all of the above healthy habits. The seeds contained in God's word can't take root in us until the soil of our hearts and minds is sufficiently tilled to accept His words and enfold them so they can grow up and produce fruit (and flowers) in us.
Without going into details, I think I'm sufficiently tilled now, Lord.
Finally I'm able to process not just the enormous ideas like the Trinity or transfiguration, but simple ideas that line up with God's word are thankfully affecting my behavior and not just my brain.
In this spirit of change, I’ve been thrilled during this Lenten season to participate in "Fasting from Wrong Thinking" as put forth by Pastor Gregory Dickow of Life Changers International Church. I was introduced to this program by Duong Sheahan, a sweetheart in Christ who attends Pastor Dickow’s church and who I met on Twitter.
For each of the 40 days of Lent, participants in this fast receive a special email message concerning some way in which most of us defeat ourselves by thinking in opposition to God's teaching. Day 9, for example, guides me to "fast from a problem-focused mentality" and Day 13 encourages me to trust God, who raises folk from the dead, and "intimidate the thing [that is] trying to intimidate you".
Day 14's lesson is that I have "reversal of fortune" in my genes and that God will right every wrong. On Day 21, I learn to celebrate the fact that my quality of life is not determined by what happens around me, but by what happens within me.
What’s happening within me while "Fasting from Wrong Thinking" is that instead of saying, "Yes, yes, how nice" when I read Pastor Dickow’s homilies and their supporting scriptures, as I've done in the past, I'm absorbing them and living by them and--wonder of wonders--little green shoots have sprouted and the buds of a beautiful crop are coming up in me.
After all, enormous ideas may change minds, but it's the simple ideas that change the way we live.
(Photograph by Ann-Kathrin Rehnse)
Reader Comments (1)
What a fabulous idea! Thanks for sharing!