We have been modifying the weekly fast schedule from A Season of Lent at the Village. They have weekly recommendations of fasts chosen because each represents a common comfort to which our culture runs for distraction. Their explanation is, "Far from a mere responsibility, these weekly fasts give us opportunities to pursue greater communion with Christ. By emptying our lives of commotion, clutter and noise, we hope to find greater room for Him to speak through His Word. Rather than simply subtracting something from our lives, this is an opportunity to add something greater....the hope for each is that a season of unplugging from the background buzz will be leveraged for the sake of communing with the Lord." We are not making it a legalistic endeavor by any means but each week the kids and I discuss our Bible passages for the week and the weekly fast suggestion. We decided this week to take a break from "entertaining electronics" today. It is something that we will probably continue throughout the year. (For those of you playing along at home, remember every time I mention "No Technology Tuesday" the earth rattles a bit-we did indeed lose electricity today during a storm). I do have to give testimony that today was a blessed day to be free of electronic entertainment. None of us struggled with the absence of it, but it was rather eye-opening at how often we would reach for it just on "auto-pilot." Just like grabbing a drink of water or flipping a light switch, we were surprised by how often we might have turned to it to pass the time today. It was good to be reminded to be more aware of how our time is spent each day. We are creatures of habit and often find ourselves in activities that are part of our daily routine but maybe not the best use of our time for that particular day. I'm thankful for a Holy Spirit given awareness of the mere "fluff" that occupies the time of my days. That is probably what distracts me most from singular focus on Christ-the seemingly small things set before me for the purpose of my "entertainment" rather than for my good and His glory. My prayer over the next few weeks is that I will have discernment to see what the enemy is using to dull my spiritual awareness and lessen my hunger and thirst for righteousness, and that I will rely on the Spirit to awaken in me a renewed depth of love and longing for my Savior.
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