FAITH AND FASTING

Thanks for clicking over to read a little more about the spiritual benefit of my challenging 86 hour fast. My faith is an important part of who I am and what I do, but I know not everyone who subscribes to the newsletter believes the same things I do. This seemed like the best way to share this important part of my experience while respecting the motivations of all my readers. Whatever you believe, I’m grateful you’re here.

To be honest, I struggled with whether or not to publicly share my experience this week. Fasting is an encouraged biblical practice, and Matthew 6 talks about the value of fasting in private and the reward God offers to those who keep it to themselves. I appreciate that and want to honor that guidance. But I also know that sometimes in my own life, the winning decision someone else makes inspires me to clarify some winning decisions I need to make. I’m hoping that by sharing my experience, I can challenge and encourage others, like you maybe, to consider where and how some intentional discomfort might benefit them.

Fasting was really good for my spirit because it stripped me of two things I love most - comfort and control -  and replaced them with an increased reliance on God. I’m guessing that’s why it’s an encouraged biblical practice, because that’s what fasting does. It takes the focus off of me for a change. I have to admit that my daily commitment to comfort and control can slowly lure me into accepting that that’s what I was made for. But God has created us for more than that. A life of faith is meant to be a life filled with courage and conviction. That’s the kind of life I want to live, and I bet you might be willing to admit that you feel something in your spirit, longing for that kind of life, too. Doing something difficult helped me break that unhealthy habit of constantly seeking the easy way out, and replaced it with the reality that I need to lean more on Him.

That’s the biggest takeaway from my three and a half days of fasting this week, and that’s why I think sometimes doing something difficult is important, because we need moments in life when we can’t be sure that who we are and what we’re capable of on our own is enough. My 86 hours served as a reminder that I wasn’t made for a life of comfort and convenience. It was a reminder, as it says in John 3:30, that “He must become greater, and I must become less.” It was a reminder that if we use it the right way, our moments of discomfort - whether we choose them or not - can move us closer to God, and closer to the person He created us to be.