Since we're on the topic of fasting ...
In the 1700s, John Wesley observed, "Some have exalted religious fasting beyond all Scripture and reason; and others have utterly disregarded it."
In 2021, the good news is that we have completely eliminated half of that problem. I don't know of anybody who exalts religious fasting in any way.
I have done a little bit of fasting in my lifetime, usually over Lent, but I have never maintained a regular weekly fast. Now, since both of my current classes touch on the spiritual disciplines, I have committed to fasting once a week - no bedtime snack after dinner on Wednesday and nothing all day Thursday until dinnertime. Instead of joining the other teachers in the school lounge, I am staying in my classroom during my lunch period on Thursdays, then, to pray specifically about my future.
I'm three weeks in and so far I can't report any profound spiritual experience. I am not even sure if I am doing it right!
Richard Foster, in his classic Celebration of Discipline, recounts the story of a man who made a two year commitment to weekly fasting. It took that guy six months to start to truly understand what fasting was about. After two years, he had a great appreciation for the practice but he still felt like a novice!
If I compare it to prayer or Bible study, I suppose I can see that it might take a while to develop "effective" fasting. I don't pray or read Scripture today like I did when I first started.
Thank goodness for that. And thank goodness I stuck with them over time.
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