A Danielle Fast

As part of this cleansing new year, I will start a fast tomorrow. I'm going to do what is called a "Daniel Fast" in evangelical circles. There are a few reasons why I'm doing this. First, I know that I've had some really bad attitudes and habits over the past couple of years and even though I noticed them, I didn't stop them from developing. Fasting breaks the hold that bad habits have over us. The stomach is an unholy master, if you're not careful.

Second, I tend to reach for bad things when I'm emotionally low. And then after having grabbed something bad, I feel even lower. So the cycle continues. I want God to intervene in this cycle starting now. If I'm having an emotional day, I want to reach deeper than the Hostess shelf to satisfy it.

Third, this year has already been an eye-opening and revealing time for me and I'm deeply troubled by how culturally relevant I've let my faith become. I want my decisions and my hopes to rest with God; when my trust hits rock bottom, I want to look around and still find myself wrapped in His love for me. {This could get very mystical sounding if I don't word it well, I know} So this is me setting myself apart {once again} to live a life separate to God. Not to be one of those cool, sophisticated Christians we all have wanted to be at one point or another. To be with God and to know God. To live for Him and with Him and in His presence. This fast is in part my denial of the delicacies that this world offers me in order to taste God's delicacies instead. I hope His delicacies come in cupcake and pizza flavor, that's all I can say.

What this means for a vegetarian--or what it means specifically for my diet is that I give up my pizza, grilled cheese, eggs, animal crackers, flaxseed crackers, pretzels and ... sugar of every variety. Also...coffee. What a scandal.

You'll see as the days go along how excited or terrorized I become by this decision. Pray for me, regardless of your rank on the skepticism scale. If you're feeling a kinship with some of my reasons for doing this, by all means, read up on fasting or talk to your priest or pastor about some disciplines you can incorporate into your routine to set your life apart for God and grow closer in His love this new year.

Let the journey begin...