Matthew 9:15
And Jesus said to them, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
Reflection: Fasting as a Spiritual Discipline, Part 2
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
Are you like me? I hate being away from home. I really hate being away from Kelly and my family! HATE IT! So, it was with a great deal of trepidation when Pastor Brad said, “hey, Jesse, since Makayle will not be going on the mission trip, I want you to plan to go and take over the preparations for it!” Okay… mission trip it is! 8 Days away from home. Ugh. Even though I realize this is a small number of days, I still do not like it. I am a bit of a home body. Thankfully, we will be hiring Makayla’s replacement hopefully soon. Nevertheless, I am still on the hook to go on the mission trip as a leader.
This is the only part of mission trips that I do not like… being away from those that I love. I get home sick pretty quickly. I will call Kelly occasionally on that trip, I am sure, just to stay connected. And in my head, I will tell myself, “It’s just a few more days!” “Five more days to go.” And I will rejoice to say, “I will be home tomorrow!” Now that experience is a bit of what fasting is like. It reminds me that I really don’t want to talk to God all that often. I am reminded that my relationship with God, and my desire to be with him, is nothing like the pull I have to my home. I am not proud of this. But, on the other hand, I am quite certain that I am unique in my feelings and pull to home. I am pretty certain that most of us don’t long for God like we do for the things around us. What would it be like, I ask you, if we desired a relationship with God, and desired to be with God, like we do our families? Do you think our church would be, as a result, more passionately committed to Christ?
Prayer
Lord, thank you that you are, to us, long suffering and patient, understanding that we are human and imperfect. Help us, nevertheless, to desire to be with you like never before.
