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The intention of these kingdom fasts is to build solidarity among those who are fasting as they remind their bodies (flesh) that their spirits are in charge – and that both body and spirit are to be under the Lordship of Jesus. The hunger or difficulty of going without a good thing serves us to long for the most rewarding and best of all things and all persons – Jesus Himself.

We are finishing our first term in Central Asia. Our first month back in the States will be March, the month for fasting shopping.

We will do some shopping for new clothes and household items, but to curtail the urge to go crazy in the land of materialism, we have made a list of things to buy when we arrive in America and we will limit our shopping for that list to the first two weeks of March. I have also made the determination not to buy any “junk food” in the grocery store, but to limit my shopping to those simple ingredients I will use to cook at home. I may even limit my grocery runs to a grocery store such as Aldi’s with a smaller stock of items.

When I first thought about how to incorporate the fast of shopping, I thought maybe I shouldn’t even try to apply it right now.

After all, we haven’t lived in America for over 3 years! Haven’t I earned the right to have a shopping spree at the mall, or to buy those snack foods we haven’t seen in such a long time?

But no, I’m not entitled to a life of financial freedom and endless choices and varieties of food. I have been blessed with extra spending money that I could choose to spend on an extra set of clothes or that package of cookies, but that doesn’t mean that I’m entitled to spending that money on my personal comforts. Whose money is it anyway? Is it my money or a resource with which God has entrusted me? I want to be wise with my money, and disciplining myself in the area of spending, even when we first arrive back in America, will help me to be wise this whole year with my spending. It will also help to remind me of those I have been living among for the last three years, who probably own just three sets of clothes, and who only have the resources to buy the most basic of foods for their family.

Thankful Simplicity

The more I think about it, the more excited I get about limiting my spending during March. I may even be thankful in the end that this simplified approach to shopping has helped me with those feelings of being overwhelmed at the grocery store that many returning missionaries face. Additionally, I’m excited to see how God might speak to me about how to spend those extra dollars in March to further His kingdom instead of expanding my own wardrobe or pantry.

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