Clarity. First 7, Day 5.

Clear water usually denotes purity, movement, and health. Murky water is still water, it's just water plus other things; things that cloud and soil, darken and dim. Our lives have additives, lots of little things that confuse us about our motives and our desires. Clarity comes when we are reduced down to who we really are and to what really matters to us. Clarity comes through discipline. The gospel writers say that Jesus left his desert fast in the power of the spirit. Weakened by his battle with the Devil and his lack of food, Jesus leaves his fast in the power of God and the certainty of his mission. His next move was to unveil his calling at his home town’s synagogue. Jesus purified the waters of his soul in that desert. There was nothing left in him but the power of God and the clarity to know what had called him. Fasting is a discipline that always brings clarity. Think about it, for 30 years Jesus waited, but it was not until this extraordinary time of fasting that he finally knew, this is the time. Don’t be surprised if you start to think and see things more clearly than you are used to. Not just spiritual things, even our senses can become heightened when we fast. Our eyes, ears and minds are clearer. The waters are being purged and clarity is a byproduct.