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Thoughts on Fasting

I begin this morning with a riddle, or, at least what I hope is a riddle. (Or maybe a pseudo-riddle).

The riddle is a common experience several of us have had over the years. Here it is: "Some of us have had to do it more than once. It something that we know is for our own good, but is sure very difficult to do for the length of time we have to do it. The fact that others don't have to do it while we have to, is sometimes very frustrating."

What I am talking about it; what am I describing? It is "fasting before surgery."

Think about it for a moment. We have to not eat or drink anything for what sometimes ends up to be ten or so hours before surgery. We know that we are abstaining for our own good as we trust and pray that our surgery is successful (and necessary). But it is very, very hard to not eat or drink, and especially not to get grumpy about it when everyone around us has been able to.

Fasting is something that we do only when we have to. It is not something that most of us do voluntarily. But when we fast, we become aware of just how important food and drink is to us.

As I think about fasting, I also think about dieting. And as I think about dieting, I think about food. And as I think about food, especially chocolate, I get hungry!

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