Day 46

Well, my journey has come to an end! Today is the last day of Lent, and tomorrow, I get to celebrate my risen Lord! HALLELUJAH!!! It has been a long and good journey. I'm sure there will be parts of what I learned that will be easily forgotten, which is one reason I'm glad I wrote every day, so I can go back and remember. There are other parts that have become part of who I am now, and that's a good thing! I have to be honest, I'm really excited about little things, like being able to eat cottage cheese and chicken, bread and jelly, tea and coffee. However, there's also part of me that's scared that life will go back to what it was before this little experiment, both physically and spiritually. I don't want that!

This has definitely shown me alot about myself, some good, some not, and has made it evident to me that I don't have to live the way so many around me live. It's been a natural kickstart in terms of bettering my health, and now I'm motivated to keep it up. It's been way more difficult spiritually than I was expecting, but that's actually been a huge necessity for me! It's been far too long since I've been challenged in that department! And emotionally, I knew I had it in me, but it's honestly a little annoying to become one of those "goal" people. I don't know why, it just is to me. I've really loved writing every night about the experience, and that part I'll really miss! Perhaps I'll have to keep writing from time to time when the mood strikes me.

The question I keep asking myself is, "will you do Lent again?" The answer is, definitely yes, but not necessarily every single year, because it's expected. I don't like doing the expected. I can very accurately state, however, that I will never do the Daniel Fast for 46 days again!!! A week or so at a time, perhaps, but this was crazy!

So, thank you for being part of this journey with me! Sometimes, even though I didn't know who all was reading this, it was this phantom audience that I knew I would bare my soul to that kept me from caving in or caused me to go on and dig a little deeper within myself. And for that I'm grateful, because when I did dig deeper, I found the One that would grow me, challenge me, and shape me. May that part not stop! I hope you not only enjoyed reading my experiences and thoughts, but perhaps grew in your own faith walk and journey because of something I said or thought or did. If you haven't yet been able to tell, I'm a big advocate in doing this thing called life together and doing it by being real. I guess that's part of how God made me and part of how my parents' shaped me. I'm so grateful for that!

So, as you do whatever it is you're gonna do tomorrow, I pray that you'll have an encounter with the God who loved you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for you. I pray you'll not only celebrate, but take the time to fully live!

journeying with you,
abby