Necessities vs. Conveniences

“Why does no one fast anymore?” About 3 weeks ago a teen in my youth group asked this question and it resulted in a unique challenge. Several members of my youth group took a challenge with me to fast from something for one week. The teens fasted from cell phones, the Internet, sweets, soft drinks, Hollister clothing, talking to boys, listening to music, etc. I wanted them to truly grasp the idea of giving up something important and so for one week I gave up my car. Yes, my car. For one week I forced myself to walk or catch a ride every where I went. I live only a mile and a half from the church building so walking to the office was not difficult, and throughout the week I managed to catch a ride to worship services, to visit the hospital, and to attend a student’s musical. Fasting from my car proved to be easier than I imagined.

What I learned during my fast is the difference between necessity and convenience. There are so many things we view as a necessity for daily living that really are just conveniences. I’ve always viewed my vehicle as a necessity but after surviving an entire week of walking and catching rides without a problem, I’ve come to realize that its really just a convenience. This made me start thinking – what would life be like if we lived just one week on actual necessities with no conveniences? Then I wondered – is it actually possible to survive on necessities alone in urban America or are we too engulfed in conveniences? Compare our environment to that of a third world country and you’ll realize that almost every aspect of our daily lives consists of conveniences. Our showers, toilets, faucets, and all forms of running water are conveniences. Our kitchen appliances and laundry appliances are conveniences. Electricity and all things connected to it are conveniences. Our clothing is a convnience because we didn’t make it. Even the food we have in our kitchens is a convenience because it wasn’t grown, picked, and packaged by us. Let’s take a moment to recognize how blessed we are because we don’t live on necessities but on conveniences.

On a side note, I encourage everyone to consider fasting from something for at least a short time period. The goal of fasting is not prove that your capable of surviving without. Instead, it is to show that you do not need whatever item you give up in order to survive; you only need God to sustain you. Remember, what Jesus said when Satan tempted Him to turn stones into bread – “Man shall not live by bread alone.” Just insert your own noun in place of “bread” and challenge yourself to survive on God alone.

My next fast – eyesight!