When I broke my fast for the first time on day 2 to eat during my window, I started with an apple. It was such an intimate experience, intimate because of how personal the journey was for me. The act of absorbing the food in front of me became a cherished moment, one I could dwell in. I had my book with me which I began to read shortly after but my focus was on the action. So much of my eating process is often woven into watching tv, listening to music, and other forms of entertainment, which can all definitely heighten an experience. But this was a nourishing reminder of the opportunity we have to dwell with our bodies and dwell on the things we are consuming, more critically.
Eating with "traditional" utensils can be a very disconnected practice. It dawned on me that the use of my fork really was making me forget the fundamental practice of eating. Eating is fundamentally about connection. I try to always pray and say grace before I eat, allowing me to connect with God and thank Him for providing, thanking the hands that helped prepare the meal so that it could arrive to me, and asking that He bless me so I can help bless the less fortunate. The next connection that we have the opportunity to make is with our body. When we consume, we're bringing outside energies into our interior sanctum.
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship" (Romans 12:1).
The question becomes, what is my body's posture towards God?
The thrust of this journey has been the inclination that I'm being called to greater in the stewardship of my body. The better I steward over my body, the more I am able to channel the Holy Spirit that guides me. I've seen this manifest many time in my art. As a spoken word artist, my voice is very important and I can only pour from that which is in me & can come through me. I would argue that the degree in which I am able to access that which is in me, is dependent upon what I allow myself to consume.
I heard it like this before "what you stop will starve and what you feed will flourish".
Commentaires