Hope

I have recently had a few scary things happen. The latest was that my dog got terribly ill. This was not just any dog. He had come into my life at a crucial time and changed it. Many of the friends that I have had over the past few years were because of my dog. Last week, I took him to the vet because he had been vomiting. As it turns out, he was going to need invasive surgery. I was devastated. I was broke at the time and had no way to pay for it. I turned to God in prayer. I didn't want to put him down. I was in tears. I called my mother, my only living parent, to get advice. As it turns out, God provided all that was needed for him to get better.

 The world is a scary place. In 2008, I was ready to complete my advanced degree and enter the workforce of professionals. I had a good resume and years of experience. We all know what happened. Not only did many of my job prospects seem to disappear overnight, but half of my savings was lost in the downturn. When I did get that next job, it was for significantly less than I would have made just a couple of years before. I think that many of us have stories where things did not go as planned. Many of us have been laid off in the past at an inopportune time, or had an accident or illness right when we were getting back on our feet. I once heard about a tycoon who said that he would not feel truly secure util he had another billion in the bank.

 I have learned that there is not a lot that I can depend on in this life. It is too unpredictable. What I can count on is Jesus. I don't have to depend on the economy, a job or a relationship. My hope is anchored in the victory of Christ. The Kingdom has already come, though not in its fullness. All of the bad things that can happen to me have been overcome. I can rest assured that I will always be taken care of by Christ.

 I do have insurance on my dog now. Hope in Christ does not preclude planning as best as we can. But I still realize that there will always be things that my plan does not cover, and there are things from which my dog cannot survive. the same could be said for me. I'm okay with that.

Fasting

In much of the church today, we do not know what to make of fasting.  We know that the Bible teaches it, but we do not know why.  Many teach today that fasting is simply about time management: we skip meals to free up more time to pray.  I think that this misses the point.  Cassian  teaches that fasting, in the tradition of the desert fathers, is about learning impulse control.  The idea is that we need to practice impulse control in small things in order to be ready to practice it in larger areas.  So, we set up a way of denying our impulses in a controlled setting.  We resist the impulse to eat for a short time to build up our spiritual muscles of self-denial. I have found this to be at work in my own life.  In times when I am fasting regularly, I also tend to be more obedient.