After the Fast...

So, my husband and I successfully completed 21 days of the Daniel Fast along with our church family.  What a feeling of accomplishment!  This was our third time participating in the fast and each year gets easier and easier.  Who am I kidding?  Doing the Daniel Fast has to be one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life!  I know.  That's very sad, isn't it?  It's really sad how much food controls our lives.  

If you're not familiar with the Daniel Fast, the gist of it is this:  eat only fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains and drink only water, all while purposefully praying and meditating daily.  

Truthfully, if I hadn't had the support and encouragement of my husband, I probably would have fallen off the wagon by Day 3 or 4.  But, his pep talks and motivational messages kept me focused. I'm truly thankful that we shared this experience together.  It really taught us a lot about ourselves. 

Here are some things that I discovered about myself:

1) I can read the Bible daily.  During the fast, I read the Bible first thing every morning.  I use the YouVersion app on my phone.  I have a reminder set to alert me each morning that I need to read my Bible.  I don't step foot out of bed until I have read a scripture and meditated on it for a moment.  

2) I can cook at home more often. One of the excuses that I use for eating out so frequently is that I don't have time to cook.  Well, during the fast, I did a lot of meal planning to reduce the chances of "messing up" and eating something that was not a part of the fast.  If I did it then, I can do it now.  

3) I do have self-control.  If you had told me 3 years ago that I could go twenty-one days without eating a piece of candy, cheesecake, or having a Diet Coke, I would have laughed in your face.  This fast has taught me that I have way more self-control than I ever thought.  

4)  I like vegetables more than I thought.  I knew that I liked green beans.  But who knew how much I liked asparagus, cabbage, spinach, sweet potatoes, zucchini?  These things will continue to be a part of my diet to make less room for the french fries, onion rings, macaroni and cheese, and other unhealthy foods.  I don't plan to give these things up, but I do plan to practice moderation.  

In addition to these four things, I also learned a lot about being consistent, being dedicated, and staying the course.  There were several times when I wanted to give up and times near the end when I simply wanted to quit.  I remember the day when I had ketchup (probably around day 19) and I wanted to use that slip up as an excuse to throw in the towel.  However, I chose to put that intentional slip up behind me and finish what I committed to starting 20 days earlier.  

Looking back, I am thankful for the experience and look forward to challenging myself to move into the deep in 2015!