A few weeks ago my squad GroupMe was going off with ideas about fasting before launch and where people were at with it. I had never really thought about fasting before we left, so I started to think about it some more since they were all talking about it. I started to come up with what I wanted to do and how I wanted to fast. At first I was going to fast from food on Mondays. But, then I was like nah I like food. So next I decided that I would fast from my phone on Mondays. I liked that idea. It seemed doable and like the right move. But I still just felt like there was more that He had for me. Some of them were talking about the Daniel Fast and I was like ohh that would be nice, buttttt I’ll miss out and all of the Christmas and Christmas Eve food and all the final Taco Tuesdays before I go and marg and wine nights. So I was like yeah no I don’t really wanna do that. The more I sat on it and began to pray about it I felt like God was telling me yeah… missing out is kind of the point, do the Daniel Fast.
I am about to enter into a season where I will be missing out on things back home. The reality is that going on the Race is a sacrifice. That doesn’t mean that it is good or bad, it’s just a simple fact – it is a sacrifice. There are about 5 weddings and counting that I will be missing, a few engagements, a lot of babies being born (thanks to the quarantine baby boom lol), holidays, birthdays, and other big life events. I am choosing this life of abandonment and having to lay down my comfort and lay down the things I will be missing back home. Yes, I am “missing out” on all of these things, but I am stepping into something far greater – deep intimacy with the Father and obedience to what He has called me into for this season. There is a deeper beauty for me to find and explore by “missing out” on things. By doing the Daniel Fast, I feel like the Lord is preparing my heart to miss out on these things and to understand that often times in life I have to make sacrifices and it is not always gong to be convenient and easy, but seeking intimacy with Him is worth it. Being obedient to Him and abiding in Him is ALWAYS worth it.
So, 21 days before I leave I will be doing the Daniel Fast. I want to prepare my heart and learn to seek intimacy with God in the moments that I feel sad about missing out on big things back home. It is okay for me to be sad about missing things and missing my people, but I don’t want those things to break me and be what I bow to. I want Him to be the source of my joy and to know that no matter what He is always greater and He is always worth it and when I do get sad He is my comforter. I also want to prepare my body and be in good health and shape before I go. We see in Daniel 1 that Daniel and his three friends were healthier and better nourished than the other men they were with by not eating the king’s food and drinking the king’s wine. I am really excited to start this final stretch to prepare my heart, mind, and body for the Race.
