A Spiritual Fast to Lose Weight?

I am currently fasting. I’ve got a cruise coming up next month and since my grandson Nick will be coming along, it’s inevitable that I’ll have to get into a bathing suit at some point during the cruise.

Trust me - this ol’ grandma in a bathing suit is not going to be a pretty sight, and about the only thing I can do that might help even a little is to purchase a couple of pretty cover-ups (which I’ve already done). It would probably help, as well, if I lost a few pounds – 10 at the very least. So, I am currently abstaining from wine, desserts, meat (except fish), soft drinks, and bread.

You might say I’m dieting – but I’m not. I can’t diet. But I can fast. The Bible encourages us to fast.

Oh, I know. The purpose of a spiritual fast probably shouldn't be about losing weight. It's even probably a good chance I'm committing some sort of sacrilege. But I can’t do it any other way. For some reason, the commitments I make to myself don’t carry the same weight as those I make to God.

I’m not Catholic, but I always give up something for Lent. I’ve even gotten where I actually look forward to it, especially now that I know that Lent doesn’t include Sundays. Nice – a reprieve every seventh day. But I didn’t learn that until this year, and so for the past several years, I’ve been giving up something for the full forty days. Most usually, it’s two or three somethings.

One Lent season, I gave up M&M peanuts and diet coke – a workday treat I had been allowing myself everyday at around 3 pm for months. I missed it too, but when you abstain from something for God, it should be something you’ll really miss – a sacrifice. Otherwise, it wouldn't mean squat.

Tuesday night, my monthly dinner group met at Nancy’s. My fast allowed that I could have everything but the wine and dessert. Well, the wine was not a problem, but Nancy is a great cook, and I knew the dessert would be to die for. And it was – an absolutely beautiful, mouth-watering ice cream cake!

Trust me when I say, just looking at it was a treat. It was absolutely breathtaking! The crust was graham cracker; the middle, layers of coffee ice cream and chocolate; and the topping, toasted marshmallows! Oh! My! Gosh! What a test of will power!

Well, that’s just it. I don’t have any will power - AND that’s the reason I fast, rather than diet. Had I simply been dieting, I would never have been able to say no. Besides, who in their right mind would even want to? Short of a health reason (and a very significant one, at that), I know of no good reason to pass up such an amazing dessert. To be quite honest, I was actually embarrassed! Everybody thought I was crazy – and rightly so.

But to break a fast? Not so easy. That feels too much like breaking a promise to God - and thank goodness, that’s never come easy to me. So, if ever I really need to reach a personal goal, break a habit, improve a relationship, be penitent, lose weight, then I fast. Because then, it becomes a promise between me and God, and I’m more committed.

God knows me pretty well, and He knows I can’t diet. So surely, even though a spiritual fast probably shouldn’t be about losing weight, it must make Him smile at least little to know that I can’t even lose a few pounds without His help; but with it, I can say no to a fantastic dessert that’s right up there with ‘s’mores and mud pie!

Nancy… next month maybe?