Hello all! I don't have much to say about this column, because I feel like the story explains itself. I hope you get something out of it, and while you're here, if you could lift me up in prayer over a few things, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Original publication date: Friday, November 7, 2014
Random Writer
Practicing fasting
I have to admit there are perks to being a Sunday school teacher, especially when the entire church is learning the same curriculum as part of a Sunday school campaign (which actually wraps up on Sunday with Friend Day). I feel like it gives me a heads up as to what's going on and for a planner like me, I love it.
So when I saw one of the challenges presented to the Sunday school classes a couple of weeks ago--before the majority of the church knew, I knew there was one I wasn't going to do.
"Fast, if possible, for one day."
In a moment of honesty, I'll tell you that one time, in college, I attempted to fast. The word fasting means "to abstain from all or some kinds of food or drink, especially as a religious observance." At that time, I hadn't even researched it in depth, but I can tell you now that the word "fasting" is mentioned 21 times in the King James Version of the Bible--10 in the Old Testament and 11 in the New Testament.
And in another moment of honesty, I decided to fast in college because I was trying to see what God wanted or had planned for me regarding a particular relationship, and in my immaturity I really thought He was going to lay out the grand plan in that day of fasting and I would go along my merry way.
I was wrong.
By the time lunch rolled around, I was famished, and by that time I felt like God hadn't revealed anything to me. So, I ended my fast and that night I had supper in the cafeteria. Probably, knowing me, I headed back to my room right after lunch and ate whatever snack I could find in my dorm.
But fast forward to the present, where I had a bit more knowledge on what fasting really meant. That Sunday, I shared with the girls in our youth group what fasting was--simply going without something for a day. It didn't have to be food, I told them--it could be sweets or Cokes or (which would have been a challenge to me) social media.
We discussed it as a family over lunch after the Sunday morning service. My sister's class was writing encouragement letters to missionaries, and I was hoping to "go dark" on social media over the weekend. A couple days later, I found out both of my parents were taking up the challenge that seemed so hard to me. They were going to fast.
My mother has always had a sweet tooth. Whether it's flavored coffee creamer or a chocolate dessert after a meal, I've always known her to love sweets. She decided to take the challenge on her day off that week, which actually confused me.
"Wouldn't it be easier to accomplish this while working?" I thought. I would think she would be so busy at work that eating sweets wouldn't be on her mind, but instead she would be at home that day, almost being taunted by the desserts. And it didn't help that my dad had bought each of us a candy bar the night before, so when my sister and I sat in front of my mom eating them at lunch that day, I could see it written on my mom's face that it was going to be challenging.
And after dinner, Mom always enjoyed eating something sweet. But not that night. We spent that time watching Criminal Minds on Netflix and by that next morning, she had ended her challenge and went back to the flavored coffee creamer.
The next day, my dad was sitting at home and I found out over lunch with my mother that he decided to use his off day to fast. From eating entirely.
I love my dad, but honestly, he loves to eat. His ideal breakfast is a hearty one full of eggs, beans, sausage and tortillas. If he could eat the same thing for the other two meals of the day, he probably would.
And I still couldn't understand the concept followed by my parents--why on their day off? I was shocked when I found out about my dad, but full of laughter when I found out that he thought that drinking a strawberry milkshake would be allowed as part of his fast. He was told that drinking juices would be okay and for some reason, he believed that milkshakes fell into that category. My mother and I attempted to disprove his point, which ended up working when he drank a cup of V8 that afternoon.
With Mom working late that night, my sister and I opted on pizza for dinner. And since he couldn't eat, he camped out in his bedroom watching movies on Netflix that night until he went to bed. And once again, my sister and I didn't help his cause as he walked through the kitchen later that night and saw the growing assortment of desserts we had made for the next day's youth group bake sale.
The next morning, Dad made breakfast for us all--a huge one with eggs and bacon and potatoes. As we sat there, I couldn't help but swell with pride for my parents, and I told them I was proud of them. In those 24 fours, they each made a conscious decision to put God ahead of sweets and food in general.
My mom shared with me that it really was hard to forgo the desserts, but she prayed that God would get her through it. And honestly, I still marvel at how my dad was able to do it (even though I know it was through the power of God).
And as proud as I am of my parents, I'm equally ashamed at myself because I actually didn't complete a challenge at all that week. I even watched as my sister wrote her letter to a missionary. It makes me feel like I don't have enough faith in God to abstain from social media or anything else in particular for just a day.
I told myself that I had to keep in touch with our teens for the bake sale that weekend, so I wasn't able to keep my challenge. But so many times, Satan will give us excuses or cop outs so that the focus falls back on ourselves instead of on Jesus. Yet, when we harness His power, we are capable of doing so many great things in His name, no matter how big or small. I'm so thankful that I have two great examples of living faith in my parents who are willing to deny themselves in order to follow Jesus.
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