I first learned about fasting in the summer of 2006 when I read the book The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting by Mahesh Chavda. It’s an excellent book and it made me very motivated to refrain from eating periodically. I decided that I would fast one day a week from food. I really didn’t like the feeling of being hungry, but I felt that it was enhancing my relationship with God. I continued this practice throughout the next year, during my fourth year of university when I lived in “The Mews” with my wonderful friends Cole, Emily, Mary, and Mandy. I think they generally supported me in my fasts, which I appreciated.
The Bible says to not make it obvious to others that you are fasting, but after a while I started to resent my weekly routine. The fasting days turned into grumpy days and my housemates would sometimes innocently ask, “Oh, is this your fasting day?” if I was moody. That’s not good, right?? I don’t remember when I stopped my weekly fasts, but I’ve never resumed a regular routine. I have definitely fasted since then, just on occasion.
The other day my housemate Steph showed me some videos from “The Skit Guys,” and one of them was called “The Skinny on Fasting.” I thought it was pretty funny, but it reminded me that fasting isn’t all about food. You can fast from any number of things. I started thinking about things that I seem to be losing control over: sweets, shopping, internet usage time… and I decided I was going to go on a fast from buying clothes. I buy clothes constantly(90% of the time from second-hand stores), even if I don’t need them. It’s especially tempting now because I have a lot of spare time, and there are SO many options… Value Village, the Sally Ann, and a handful of very cute consignment stores!
I’m not saying that it’s wrong to buy something for yourself every once in a while, but honestly, how many t-shirts and scarves does a girl need? Not as many as I have. So until we go to Brazil, I’m not gonna buy any more clothes! I don’t want this to come across as a boast about fasting, but rather as a way to help keep myself accountable. It’s really easy to slip-up if no one else knows about your fast… so if I know that you all know about it, it’ll encourage me to keep on going.
Here’s the video I mentioned before:
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