Food!!

The other day I said to myself, "I am going to fast for 48 hours." Fast simply meaning abstaining from food. I have never fasted in my life before, they had 24 hour fast during my high school days at my church and I always played sports so probably not a good idea to abstain from food while playing a sport. But I decided to fast mainly b/c Jesus did (I know 48 hours is nothing like 40 days) and b/c I knew I would have to rely on God and the Spirit he bestows on me to get through. I love food I eat my three squares, plus some most of the time so the idea of fasting was a challenge.
As I am writing I am on hour 42 of 48 and boy, how it has been a ride. About hour 24 was the worst my stomach was groaning and the only thing that got me through it was the power of the Holy Spirit. I prayed, God provided. My goal in this was to become closer to God. To accomplish this, I knew God was the only thing I could rely on b/c if I trusted my flesh I would have ate at like hour 8 but I have made it this far, by trusting in God's provision.
My other goal in this fast was to get a new perspective of food. I personally eat for mere satisfaction it makes me feel good and it taste great! But food was meant to energize us not to be used for mere satisfaction. I got a huge surprise at about hour 36 of the fast. My two goals were happening I had to draw closer to God to make it through the days, but also I was gaining a new perspective on food. However, God threw a curve ball. I was riding down the road and noticed food is so accessible to the people that live in the US, restaurants with big signs are everywhere. If I ever got to the point to where I wanted to eat I easily could have. But there are so many people in this nation as well as other nations around the world that are dying b/c of lack of nutrition (food). You think with all the food we throw out everyday we could some how find enough to feed the people who are truly starving.
I heard a story one time of a man who went on a mission trip and the locals were sacrificing chickens to idols. And this disgusted the man and he talked to a local missionary and said "I could never be around this place all day, everyday with these people openly making sacrifices to idols." The local missionary turned to him and said, "what do you mean?", "These people have one idol, where in American there are many." This puzzled the foreigner. The local missionary went on, "he said in America, even your own stomach is an idol, look at the places you have to satisfy it, huge lit up signs screaming at you to over indulge here or there." The local missionary went on with many other examples but this one really hit me.
Our own stomach is an idol!! We fill it so easily and hardly ever give thanks for the true blessing God has given us. I personally know no one who is starving and I am thankful but also upset that I am not helping to feed the starving. Mark 6:37 Jesus says to his disciples, "You give them something to eat." We who ar blessed must give!
I never thought a 48 hour fast would open my eyes as much as it has. From now on everything I eat I will be so thankful for and secondly I will do my best to look to food for the energy and life it provides and nothing more. We Americans our blessed beyond belief but what do we do with our blessings? Just something to think about.
Thanks for taking the time to read!!