my list of SEVEN (8)

i keep praying...
because i've never even done a fast for longer than a day,

 or at least stuck with it to do it well.

last year, for lent, i said i would fast from sugar.  

i lasted a whole 2 days.  my own daughter, 

who was 6 at the time, asked

 if i was sure i wanted to give up sugar for lent.  

she suggested i try something a little easier that i could give up-

like vegetables?  uh, yea.  that was humbling.

 praying over this is where i am at.  

i really want to see what God shows me through this 

and where He will lead.

and, at the end, i don't want to regret not finishing. 

i desire change...to be disgusted with my excess.

because i know myself...the more i have-the more- my life

is about me.  less of me and more of you Jesus.

here we go...
 Chapter 1:  Food

doing this book with 35 other girls is so fascinating!!
it is incredible to hear how each girl is praying over
this...truly pouring over it making it their own.

there are so many different ways to fast.

some are using their lunch time to fast,
pray and connect with their kiddos.
others are eating only "clean" food.
some are only making meal selections based on
what they currently have in the refrigerator and pantry.
a few are giving up eating out, extra snacks & starbucks
and some are choosing from 7 food items to eat.

i chose the latter.  choosing 7 foods. 

this is what i came up with:

my fab 5:  spinach, chicken, apples, egg + ww bread

my 3 luxury items:  avocado, greek yogurt + coffee

so, i know...i have 8 right?  well, that's where my

3 luxury items come in on rotation.  i am allowing

myself 2 luxuries a day, along with my 5 essentials.

**side note**

and you know what's great...

my kind of luxury coffee is a caramel macchiato from starbucks.

bring in the hallelujah chorus and little cherubs waving wands.

but, luxury is taking on a whole new meaning to this girl with her 7.

luxury coffee for the next 2 weeks is black.  black as in PLAIN-coffee black. 

it's hot...i'll give it that.  

okay...sorry for the diversion...
my experience in the grocery store:

 i'm walking aisle to aisle searching for my 7 (8) items

 and i stopped at the waffles and just stared at them.

i mean, was i a little bit thinking that waffles could fit into my essentials?  

well, maybe.. but more than that, i am struck with this thought of how

immensely lucky i am that i can go to any store i want and buy food.

and not only do i get to buy food...

i have 7 different kinds of waffles-from the same brand to choose from.

  

i know...i'm such a genius.

these things probably come to most people as they shop through the grocery.

but, it hasn't hit me like that before.

i didn't realize how much i would see on day 1 alone.

 {jumping back to leftovers for a second from my earlier post}

on day two,

 i had plain chicken in my refrigerator

just sitting there.  i didn't let myself think about

it too long.  i got it out, warmed it up

and had it for lunch.
and, there were cheers.

crowds roared in amazement.  

well, my crowd of 3 sure did some clapping for me. ;)

and, i'm still alive today.  i didn't waste what i normally would have...

and, for the most part, i stuck to my 7.

with the exception of 4 peanut m&ms that were sitting in a 

bag in my pantry begging for me to eat them.

so, my friends...

this is happening.

an experimental mutiny against excess.

the 2 places where i think God is leading me...

we started March 1. 

I'll let you know how it goes.

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