Fasting

During the month of September, I practiced fasting as a spiritual and physical practice on Fridays. I was hesitant to try this practice, even though it has been a core practice of followers of Jesus for thousands of years, because I was just worried about the practical effects on my life. I didn’t want a day of low energy, poor work-outs, and general angst. Laughable, I know, but this was how I honestly felt about fasting.  

I’m aware fasting (from food, specifically) can be a taboo, sensitive topic in our culture. Sadly, this can be especially true for some individuals due to an influx of cultural messaging surrounding body image and the unattainable standards constantly presented on social media platforms. The following words are about my personal experience with fasting. I am not recommending this practice to everyone, or suggesting it is a wise decision for everyone to implement this practice. However, this practice has positively impacted my spiritual formation and development. I’m writing my thoughts about my own experience with fasting.   

The physical act of fasting from consuming food for a specific period of time is a practice that has been foundational to followers of Jesus for thousands of years. Personally, I think a lot of fasts such as social media fasts, technology fasts, and fasts from consumeristic habits are “popular” within Christian circles today; but fasting from food - not so much. I wonder if it’s because this specific type of fasting forces us to become aware of how our daily choices are out of alignment with our deepest desires. Often, in the business and distraction of a hyper-individualistic, fast-paced culture, we start to unintentionally make daily decisions which are not in line with our deepest desires and instead, are aligned with the fluctuating pressures/emotions of any given day. The physical practice of fasting forced me to confront the reality of my free-will as a human being and how my daily choices comprise who I am becoming and how I’m being formed - either towards or away from - Jesus. The reality is that ever since our moment of conception as human beings in the Garden of Eden we’ve been blessed and cursed by the freedom of choice. In the current crazy pace of culture in North America, I think we often forget we have been given the freedom to choose what we feed our bodies and our souls. Yes, God works in us and much of our spiritual formation and development starts and ends in Him. However, there is still much of our formation which is left entirely up to us as human beings created in the image of God with free will. Aligning my deepest desire to follow Jesus and emulate His lifestyle with my daily actions involves making a thousand daily decisions which lead to the fulfillment of my deepest desire. It’s incredibly important as a follower of Jesus to recognize that living an embodied spiritual experience means the physical practices in my life are intricately connected to my spiritual formation. Personally, the practice of fasting from food forced me to confront the decisions in my life which were not aligned with my deepest desires. I realized I am partially responsible, and in control, of how I am being formed. Am I allowing the voice of culture to speak louder than God in my life? Is my social media consumption dictating how I view my worth and/or my body? Am I allowing God to define what is most true about me and my identity, or am I finding it in certain hobbies or achievements? 

Maybe this seems like a lot to get from fasting for a few hours (definitely was more than a few), but I sincerely believe having free will is wild and sometimes we forget the important role we play in our spiritual formation. Through my experience with fasting, I felt Jesus give me a gentle reality check of my life and my choices. To be clear, His love for me is never dependent on my actions, but the fulfillment of my deepest desire to become more like Him, is partially dependent on the practices and rhythms of my daily life. 

(2025)