Yes or No?

"Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)

I am struck with how often I say yes to things that so routinely capture my desire. I am practically unaware of these things when they crowd in for attention. But whenever I fast, this tyranny of desire comes into focus. I am writing this from China, a place where people have learned to say no – not because they were trying to discipline their appetites, but because they didn’t even have the option of saying yes. Whether regarding heat, clothing, housing, travel or food, they say no because they cannot say yes. But I live in a culture that until recently hasn’t had to say no very often. So I fast. Fasting gives me the chance to recognize the frequency of the demands of appetite and the urging of the soul to be satisfied. In fasting, in saying no to those urges, the sufficiency of Christ to meet all needs becomes a point of clarity. When I have to say no to one thing, I find myself saying yes to another. When other desires are set aside during a fast, I find that there is nothing more satisfying than the Bread of Life.