These days are pretty unusual. Our schedules and daily demands are changing. For some, they have increased. For others, it’s slowed way down. Either way, today is a good day to make a choice about how to make the most of the opportunity of a ‘day’…

I want to ask you to do something that also may be unusual; Fast & reFocus. The Bible most often describes fasting as doing without food. “Throughout Scripture, fasting refers to abstaining from food for spiritual purposes.”
“Fasting must forever center on God. It must be God-initiated and God-ordained.” “More than any other single Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface.” “Fasting helps us keep our balance in life. How easily we begin to allow nonessential to take precedence in our lives. How quickly we crave things we do not need until we are enslaved by them.” Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, 1978, The Discipline of Fasting.

FAST
For this fast, I encourage you to reduce a different kind of consumption. We will use the New Testament guidance of ‘take off’ and ‘put on’.

For a day, choose no social media or news broadcasts. None. ‘Take off’ this influence for a day. Do without it. Key question: What would be an appropriate challenge for you with your current circumstances?

Then, pick a day. Maybe you choose Good Friday, or maybe another day works better for you in the next 7 days. You get to choose how you define ‘day’.

Yes, there are some wonderful aspects of social media and news. I am not suggesting we choose to be uninformed. I am suggesting we can all get drawn into the less admirable and spend entirely too much time there.

After you’ve completed your ‘day’, and if you’d like, please tell us how it went.

reFOCUS
Instead reFOCUS on what is life-giving. ‘Put on’ good music, a good movie or book that will help you to align your heart with God’s heart and His purposes for the world. Choose media for the day where the content will most likely be admirable. Choose one of these stories of Christ and schedule time to read it: Matthew 26-27, Mark 14:12-15:47, Luke 22-24, John 18-19. You could take in a Good Friday church broadcast or live stream. Make the best choice you can in the middle of whatever else is a ‘normal’ day for you.

Define the ‘day’. Commit to it.

If you fail…acknowledge it. Or maybe, when you fail…acknowledge it. Ask yourself, “Why did I ‘fail’?” Consider what’s at the root of the ‘failure’. Look it in the eye. Forgive yourself. Repent, if for some reason that’s needed. Recommit. Start again.

Isn’t that the heart of the Gospel? Acknowledge. Seek forgiveness. Start again.

After you’ve completed your ‘day’, and if you’d like, please tell us how it went.