Hey everyone! I came across this old post of mine and thought it might encourage some of you who have fallen short during this fast. And it’s perfect timing as we enter into the last week! xo

Someone asked me the other day if I had ever messed up on a fast. I had to laugh to myself. The answer, of course, is a HUGE YES!! I set goals every year — this year included — that are beyond what I did the year before and what I can do in my own strength. When we set the bar high, sometimes the natural result is failure to meet the goal. But that should never stop us from trying to reach as high as we can! It has actually taken me years of developing a lifestyle of fasting to build up to where I am now.

So what if you “mess up”? What do you do then? Proverbs 24:16 says, “…for though a righteous man falls seven times, he gets back up; but the wicked are brought down by calamity.” This has been a formative principle in my life in so many areas, and it’s no different in the arena of devotion to God. What matters is not that we stumble, but that we get back up! True failure only occurs when we let adversity keep us down.

Maybe you have tried to participate in the fast this year and have found yourself stumbling along the way. I want to encourage you to try it again during this last week. Don’t be discouraged by looking at the times you gave in to hunger or messed up. But be encouraged by this: when we draw near to God, he draws near to us. (James 4:8) He wants to draw near to you — so keep it up! I am confident that you will be rewarded and blessed for your perseverance.