Detox
If you need to make a change in your life, how would you start?
Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. - Acts 8:8-9
In today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Saul is blinded by an encounter with Christ who spoke to him.
It would be three days before Saul received any word of what was to happen to him. During those three days, he neither ate nor drank.
Three days is a long time to go without anything to eat or drink and I wonder if it was Saul's intent to abstain, or if it was all part of the detoxification program.
A couple of weeks ago I spoke with someone from the Salvation Army about a program the organization has for people wanting and needing to free themselves from addiction and change their lives.
He told me they had to be sober for two days before they could qualify for the program. My first reaction was that was a reasonable requirement, a way of showing you are serious.
But I discovered in talking to a few folks who were interested in the program just how difficult that is for someone who is dependent on alcohol or drugs, or both.
The things we depend on each day can create a real hold on us, giving us the shakes if we are without them for even a short while. So, Saul's three days may have been much more than sobering. They were transformative.
If we are serious about changing our lives, we need to put ourselves through a type of purging of all the things we take for granted, all the things we depend on as crutches in our lives.
Could we do that?
Could we go two or three days without all the things we think we need?
Maybe we could if we eliminate them one at a time. It would be like a series of mini fasts, where we give up one thing for two days and then another for two days and then maybe both for two days, and so on.
It might be a worthwhile exercise, just to see how dependent we have become on the routine things in our lives.
I am determined to give it a try. I will start today.
Now what will I give up for two days?
Hmm. This could be more difficult than I thought.
Perhaps I need a flash of light to get me started.
More to come...