Hunger, real hunger

I had gotten into some really bad eating habits since I returned to my home in the fall of last year.  I recognize them for exactly what they are: my form of drugging myself. Food is by far the most popular drug in the world, and wherever there is processed food, you have drugs, powerful, dangerous drugs. They slow you down, numb your brain, and put your body in an acidic condition that begins to break down your flesh.  Didn’t mean to be negative, it is just a statement of fact.

There is so much going on that educates our soul, most of which we are not aware. 2 years ago as a result of my study on the Law of the Fast, I decided that I would do a Daniel Fast, which was eating only raw food for 40 days.  I weighed the costs and my determination.  I felt I could do at least that much.

I made it for 37 days.  I was craving something I couldn't put my finger on.  One of my friends told me that I needed the marrow in the bones of meat.  I broke my fast. The full week before this happened I had to have jalapeno peppers or hot chili sauce on everything I ate.  I couldn’t put my finger on it and it felt much like have a craving when I was pregnant.

I went to see my dentist yesterday. She is also a naturopath.  I told her of my fasting story.  She explained that when you are craving hot foods, you body is detoxifying. That is exactly what will take place in a Daniel Fast or in a juice fast, or water fast, and definitely a true fast without water; our bodies will go through the process of being cleansed, much like a refiner’s fire.  The hot sauce was showing the more thorough cleansing process through the actual desire for a type of fire, or heat.

I woke early this morning, because I am not eating processed food right now.  You don't need the same amount of sleep when you don't tax your digestive system with meats, carbohydrates that are processed, and eating late.  Well, now what do you do at 2:45 in the morning?  You read, because you are alert and awake and your stomach may be talking to you, but clanging around in the kitchen will wake the rest of the family.

I am a person who loves the stimulation of beauty, color, and texture.  It makes eating raw fruits and vegetables such a lovely experience because they are colorful, many different textures, and are truly beautiful to the eye.  I lay in bed early this morning thinking about what I could eat.  I kept thinking about satisfying this desire, but could come up with nothing.  My mind reverted to an experience I had when I was in the first week of my fast.  

I was having that same contemplation of what I could eat, and the Holy Spirit whispered to me very clearly, "You will never be satisfied with anything on this earth again."  I thought it only applied to food.  I was wrong. It was a beginning of a journey I had no idea I had chosen to go on.  

I love to read my scriptures probably more than anything else in the world.  I love feasting upon the word. I will never give it up.  But something came to me yesterday as I was contemplating a matter.  They were the words the Lord used while instructing Satan, as he attempted to test him during his 40 day fast.

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matt 4:4)

I have contemplated the journey that a person can desire to converse one on one with God.  It is not a singular experience, nor is it something that only happens to those who record it in the scriptures we have at our disposal at this current time. God has, can, will, and does speak to any of his children that so desire to have that precious communication.  We are trained in our youth to learn how he deals with loving kindness with all his children through the scriptures.  Eventually we can reach a place, if it is our desire, that we receive the word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, and we can get it directly to us. I continue to remember that He is not a respecter of persons.

Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ. (Moroni 8:1)

I learned this wonderful lesson while lying in my bed pondering upon my hunger. Christ instructed us on hungering and thirsting.  He told us unequivocally that He is the bread of Life, that He is the one that delivers living water.  As my hunger for the real thing continues, I am certain that angels are ministering me to, as each one who is seeking will find out that truth for themselves.  And I expect to continue to lay hold upon every good thing until the coming of Christ into my very being, just like others who sought him diligently in the past.

Just a tiny bit

I have been reading a great book called the Long Knife, by Alexander Thom.  He wrote Follow the River, among many others. He is an historian extraodinaire and I would put him in a classification next to Gibbons and Michner.  I have really enjoyed his books because he has done such in-depth research.

Something caught my eye as I was in the thick of the exciting part where George Rogers Clark was leading his very weary men on a surprise attack to recapture Fort Vincennes (Vincent) from the British Commander Hamilton, who was commonly called the scalp buyer.  Clark had pushed his men day after day because they needed to attack at a time they would be completely unexpected, and for the last 6 days of their trek they had suffered incredible hardships in freezing cold, wet weather with nothing to eat.  The comment made was that he felt that his men were doing something that the Indians imposed upon themselves: they would fast for days so that they could get a clarity of mind and purpose. They needed to stay their course, they were fording a river that had ice in it and none of the men could swim.

As I study different things in history regarding fasting, I can see how purposeful a true fast is, if done with the intent of connecting with the Heavens, and the power that comes from communion with intent to fulfill purpose.

It is a waste of time to point out all the traditions that practice some kind of fast.  What is of import to me is to recognize and then put into practice something that will yield the same powerful results as these Indians, or anyone else for that matter who is seeking the help from the Heavens in large, powerful doses.  If fasting gives clarity of mind, then it must be breaching a gap that is filled in with all kinds of distractions.  Something to consider as I have given up the wicked whites to seek after more light and less strain on my body.

I am always learning.