30 Days of Nothing

I just stumbled across what has become known as 30 Days of Nothing. For me, the exact dates are irrelevant; I did not begin on the first of September nor will I end on the thirtieth. The idea is one anyone can implement. As Tonia says, “The goal of this month-long fast is to break the grip of materialism in our hearts and minds. We want to live in gratitude, not discontent; and we want to live with awareness of the great responsibility our affluence has laid on our shoulders.”

Fasting is a discipline which takes many forms. Some, like me, are physically unable to go without food for a week or a month, though the desire is there. The same earnestness and sacrifice, the same self-control and refinement of focus can be demonstrated in other types of fasts.

Tonia shares great ideas on how to involve children and open their eyes to life beyond Western culture. Washing clothes by hand, eating nothing but rice for a day, and sleeping together on the floor are all opportunities. For me, abstaining from certain activities that are simply pleasures like reading certain books and spending time online have disappeared for a season. I’ve let myself feel things that are not pleasant: sleepless nights, days without much food…

The past few weeks have been a great Test of my trust in the One who is sovereign over all–including the pain and suffering. Will I trust that He is enough and He is all, even when so little I see is good, or true, or beautiful? How much am I willing to risk for Him? To what lengths will I follow Him? Even to do that which appears foolish in the eyes of those around me? To give up what all sense says I should cling to?

There is no true security in these temporal tokens. There is no real assurance in a bank account or having a bed to sleep in. How far is too far? Where do you draw the line and say, “Here Lord I will go. But no further.” Is it the thought of lifelong singleness? Continual poverty? Going hungry or lacking the stuff of life? Where is your line? If…or should I say when He asks you to cross it, will you be ready?

The post that made me weep is A person. For this. Be prepared though–it is not a comfortable read or sight. It is reality. It is a part of the suffering that comes with living in a sin-wracked, unjust world.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27