Past the Fasting Grumpies into the Mystery of Mission

So it seems that there's no way around it: fasting is a common denominator of those who have been old and wise in the Lord. Ugh.

In general I would say that my over-active metabolism is a great gift. But when it comes to fasting, it works against me. Attempts at fasting often leave me grumpy, tired, and headached. I plow through a day, trying to get stuff done, trying to remember to pray, and wondering why I'm doing this.

But several weeks ago I was reading Eugene Peterson's introduction to Romans and he talks about how Paul talks about and embraces mystery.

This has been a touchstone of prayer for me over the past several weeks as I gear up for the fall. And it has prompted a question: how do I engage mystery rather than just shrug sort of nihilistic-ally and say that there's nothing I can do about anything, it's all just going to happen one way or the other?

How, in other words, can I actively engage with and enter into mystery and have it motivate me towards mission rather than having mystery be de-motivating?

Enter fasting. The answer, so far as I can tell, is that part of the mystery of God is that he invites us to enter in--into his beauty and character and power and grace as a part of his real-time work in the world.

Fasting is one important track to enter into all this. It's one place where we might get traction in entering into this mystery. It's an on-ramp into the mystery of God. It's submission and denial in order to embrace a larger life. It's a "no" in order that we might more fully enter into God's powerful "yes."

We fast in order that we might feast. We feast on the mystery of God, and to know that mystery more fully. It will never be fully understood, but it can be fully entered into.

This has given me new ways to enter into fasting over the past couple of weeks as I prepare for this fall. I'm embracing both mystery and strategy, both listening and speaking, both waiting and working. Fasting is helping me to do both at the same time.

I can still end up a little grumpy and glazed over at the end of a day of fasting. But at least now me and my hyped-up metabolism have a little better idea what we're doing all this for.