Читать книгу Detox Your Spiritual Life in 40 Days - Peter Graystone - Страница 8

Introduction

How are you?

I presume that, like me, you have asked that question a thousand times. And I presume that, like me, you are always dreading that the person might actually tell you! Someone telling you the truth about how they feel can trap you in a corner for 40 minutes. And that would be an edited version – the whole truth might take 40 hours!

Fortunately, when you use this book it is not me to whom you will talk about your life. It is God. He has infinite patience to listen to you as you reflect on the state of your health – physical, emotional and, above all, spiritual. So take a risk and be honest with him about everything that would be too dull, difficult or dangerous to tell anyone else. And do it for 40 days!

The period of 40 days has often been seen by Christians as a suitable length of time for serious thought. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert preparing for the part of his life about which we read in the Gospels. After his resurrection he appeared to his disciples for 40 days, preparing them for the moment that would turn his mission from a little, local movement into worldwide good news. So choose 40 consecutive days and treat them as a preparation for a new turning on the path that you and God are treading side by side.

You might choose Lent, the period leading up to Easter, which Christians have traditionally used for this purpose. Alternatively, it is more or less 40 days between Christmas and the end of January – always a good time to resolve to make changes. Or the daily chapters are short and light enough to make this a summertime read instead.

The book follows the pattern of a detox. This is a technique that uses a combination of eating simple and nutritious food, exercising and relaxing in order to clean and rejuvenate the body. It gives the body a chance, over a short or long period, to expel some of the toxins that we ingest and inhale because we live in an industrialized society in the twenty-first century. Detoxing is a rigorous pursuit, but it leaves people feeling less stressed, more alert and more alive.

This detox is similar, but it will take you into areas of your life that the scores of secular books on the subject dare not explore. It will give you a chance to clean and rehabilitate your relationship with God in every way – not just your body, but your soul and spirit too. I hope that you can get rid of the spiritual toxins – unwanted habits, memories, temptations and distractions – that pollute your enjoyment of living as a follower of God. I am planning to go into rehab with you for the next few weeks, so you can compare your experiences with mine. And we will be accompanied by the writers of the Bible and inspiring Christians from history, who will be sharing their timeless wisdom with us. There will be practical ideas and prayers as well, so the detox will be thorough and will hopefully develop some lifelong healthy habits. I am praying that together we will be liberated to enjoy the life that Jesus came to give us in all its fullness.

So get ready to be restored and revitalized in your Christian life. I will ask, ‘How are you?’ again at the end of this 40-day detox. I do hope the answer will be, ‘Overflowing with energy to praise God!’