We are more than 1/2 way through the month of Ramadan — praise God! Next year, I’m going on vacation. No, I’m not fasting, but the food, drink and dress restrictions basically confine us to our house during the day. It’s much too hot to be outside (even the dog resists going out for potty breaks), especially without food or water. We have been able to go to friends’ houses (now that we’ve made a few) and that helps break up the monotony of the days, but in general the boys lie around watching Netflix on the iPad and I eat chocolate in bed. Believe me, it gets old.
We were at church the other day (a different church, not the dual worship one) and Calvin had a bottle of water that he started drinking out of as we were standing around before service began. One of the pastors saw him and joked, “Is this a Ramadan free zone?” I replied, “It better be!” and we laughed.
Later in the service they served communion and I realized how different the Christian faith is in this area. While Muslims are fasting all day for these 30 days, I go to church and am told, “Eat! Drink! This is my body, broken for you!” God isn’t requiring me to fast to earn his approval . . . he’s the one providing the food and drink through his own sacrifice.
Instead of being irritated that their religion is impinging on my freedom, I should be feeling compassion for those that haven’t discovered that we can “taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8)