Have you ever been discontent, but it’s not because you don’t have things or clothes or food or resources, but just because you can’t put your finger on why it’s hard to be happy, even with so much God in your life? I’m not sure I live in this state continually, but I’m not always good at remembering to be thankful. We all struggle in certain areas, and I have several hot spots that needed work! Don’t we all! I was meeting with a great friend who was telling me about this great book, 7, by Jen Hatmaker. So of course, a book study was needed!

It’s a book written in a journalistic type way, where Jen does 7 different fasts for 7 months, with only 7 things. Let me explain. There are 7 fasts: food, clothes, possessions, spending, waste, media, and stress. The hope is to have less “stuff” and worries of this world, stop living with excess (because oh my word, do we have so MUCH of it), and seek God…and learn to change our hearts. This week is week 1, and our group of 15 women decided to fast 7 weeks instead of 7 months. This first week our group is fasting by eating only 7 foods. Foods that are made by God, for us. I’m eating organic chicken, apples, oatmeal, hummus, spinach, nuts, and sweet potaotes. I typically don’t talk about fasts when I’m doing them, because the purpose is to pray and seek God, not tell the world what you’re doing and how great you are. But please hear my intent here. I woke up hungry today. Hungry. I cannot tell you the last time I felt that pain so strongly. Anyone else with me? When in the world do you actually have to feel hunger, and be ok with it? And instead of running to the kitchen to make some coffee and get a Larabar, I sat down and let the hunger stay, and I’m glad to see it too, because it really is a gift! I choose to use this time to be reminded that God is all I need. People all over the world aren’t eating today, some are just having rice and beans for the 118th day in a row, and some are wishing and praying to God for any kind of bread, hopefully not moldy.

It’s not too much to give up 3 lattes a month and start giving more to partnering organizations helping people in great ways around the world. It’s really, really, really not actually a sacrifice at all. I’m not sacrificing meals to feed my family, I’m sacrificing the comfort of coffee or buying extra ketchup. Wow. And, it’s another day that I think to myself, how did I get to live in this time in history, with this much luxury, and allow myself to ever, for any millisecond, be ungrateful? How? I have won the life lottery, and I will recognize that and do something about it. It’s my responsibility to change.