Freedom From Food--Thoughts from the Johnston Family

We have offically completed day 4 of our "rice and beans" diet. Our children our 4,2 and 14 months so we are having oatmeal and yogurt for breakfast, a normal lunch (sandwich and fruit) and only a bowl of rice and beans for dinner. We have no snacks after lunch. (The baby is of course excluded). Barrett and I are taking it a step further by having rice and beans for lunch as well. Going into the week we were not sure how much impact this would have on our children but were excited to see what happened. All I can say is that the Lord works in amazing ways. Abram (4 years) has soaked it up. He and his little sister, Faith (2.5 years), had the most amazing conversation around the dinner table last night that started with the discussion of the poor kids in the world who "don't even have popsicles or gum" and ended with them talking about Jesus and how he lives in all kids hearts and how God will take them all to heaven to be with Him. Faith ended it with "Abram, I don't know where Heaven is but when I am 5 I will learn that".
This is not a diet. To me, fasting is freedom. The freedom from food and the role it plays in our lives. The freedom to NOT think about food. It seems like there is so much more time in the evenings to spend with family or to read rather than hang around the kitchen and snack while watching our favorite show. Fasting is something that has been a part of my family for a long time. Every year, my father fasts for 3 whole days leading up to Thanksgiving. He uses it as a focused time of prayer and a way to be reminded of all that he has to be thankful for. As a child, I remember my dad eating very small portions on Thanksgiving Day. Yes, because of the fast, he would have been sick to eat a lot but it was also because he felt like it wasn't a time for us to indulge. Food is a gift. So many people don't have it. We have too much of it. He always spoke of how grateful we should be to just sit around that Thanksgiving table and eat a meal together. I learned watching him (and later doing it with him) how much freedom I found in those 3 days of fasting. It is hard when you are hungry but it also provides some freedom to just be still and pray and be thankful. For 3 days, you don't have to think about food, the kitchen, snacks, etc...This week as actually been a little harder for me because I have to be around food and be disciplined about what and why we are eating. It has had such an impact on our family.

I am looking forward to the fast on Saturday. Although it is not easy, I pray that God will change my heart and mind and break my spirit so I have greater compassion for those that do not have the luxury of returning to a normal diet like we do. All of the encouragement from the entire NPC family has been amazing. We are so blessed to be a part of it!

Submitted by the Johnston Family