Fasting meat has been difficult. I didn’t realize that swapping eggs for meat wouldn’t stop me from being hungry all the time, and my snacking habits subsequently skyrocketed to the point where my mom suggested that I fast snacks instead of meat. It didn’t help that there were a LOT of cookies, cake, and snacks at home from the Christmas and New Year baking.
Last week, I had a wake up call from my sister, who said, “Abby, you can’t fill that [meatless] void with cookies. You need to fill it with God.”
That really hit home for me because my mindset was “just stop eating meat”. I didn’t think that eating more snacks was like a replacement because I was technically fasting.
We usually cope with losing something we are used to having by replacing it with something else. This may work for some situations, but when we’re fasting, swapping out one craving with another can defeat the true purpose of fasting – which is giving up something for God so we can focus more on Him and draw closer to Him.
Some verses that have really helped me in this fast are:
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 – “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
If you’re in the same boat, I want to tell you that it’s okay.
Fasting was never supposed to be a walk in the park. Remember that God’s power is made perfect in your weakness and he will never let you be tempted by more than you can handle.
Turn to Him, and He will fill that void for you.