A Fasting First
I've never fasted before. It's kind of a weird practice that I was never taught how or when to do it. The last several months or years this thought has passed through my mind briefly. But I've not done anything about it. As part of my recent spiritual retreat, I decided to give fasting a try. I don't report of it to impress, for I myself am not even impressed.
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:16-18
So that tells us not to fast or practice any other spiritual discipline to be seen by men (like praying and doing charitable deeds should also be done in secret per the prior verses). I'm hopefully not dancing on the fence of disobedience by even mentioning the fasting I've done. For lack of much specific instruction or testimony about fasting, I feel kinda clueless and naive about it. Do people still do this? If so, please share your story, if you feel you can do it without disobeying this verse. Now that I have fasted once, I figured I'd give a basic report on my experience. Maybe someone else, who has also been wondering about fasting or considered doing it, will come across this and find something useful. I'll start out by copying what I wrote about fasting in my journal:
Keep in mind that I'm neither a physician, nor would I say my observations below are medically sound... they might be, but then again, they might not. They are simply experiential observations from my own perspective in the midst of fasting.
Monday October 6, 2008
Today is the last day of my 3 day fast. Some interesting non-spiritual observations:
1) I feel as though I've lost some weight, even in these few days. My pants feel ever so slightly looser, I can pinch a smaller fold of skin on my stomach, and my side profile seems flatter and less accentuated there. I guess my body, being fed no sustenance (other than a swallow grape juice and small fragment of saltine cracker - yesterday's communion), has been "feeding on itself". Of course I would never recommend anyone pursuing fasting as a way to lose weight. A diet that ends in death or extreme sickness or malnourishment is not a very wise or successful diet. Besides, I'm sure there is a twofold anti-diet effect that takes place after a fast is broken: a) hunger has set in, and the natural reaction would be to eat more than normal or possibly indulge in worse types of foods to compensate or "reward" oneself. b) the body probably naturally "latches on" to nutrients when it is finally fed again, and the metabolism is probably lowered from relative inactivity, so more is probably stored initially to compensate.
2) Water makes all the difference. Before deciding to go to the cabin on this fast I looked online to see how long a person could survive without food. Of course there is no exact answer, as it depends on a rather long list of variables. A general answer would be anywhere from a few weeks to a couple months. However, one resource I read said in addition that living more than about a week without water would be nothing short of miraculous. I kept that tidbit in mind and have been drinking water regularly throughout the days of my fast. In fact, because I've been drinking adequate water, I hardly feel hungry or any adverse effects. I do sense that without water I would quickly weaken, moreover. So while fasting, water makes all the difference. Because of how fine I feel - not even hungry after 2+ days - I almost feel guilty, like I'm not fasting at all! Perhaps God is simply answering my prayers by sustaining and protecting my body.
Sidenote: One reference online said that if any adverse effects or extreme hunger are experienced when fasting, don't continue. It could be dangerous! It's not a discipline or exercise that is supposed to sicken or kill you! I included this verse in my journal just because I happened to be reading in this part of scripture. While Jesus' example isn't one for us to "follow" in my opinion, I decided to include it here for reference. I certainly wasn't lead by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, as in the case of Jesus. So it is not meant to be a verbatim resource for us when fasting, methinx.
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
Then the devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, change this stone into a loaf of bread."
But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone.'"
Luke 4:1-4 NLT
Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors. Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone, rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. For all these forty years your clothes didn't wear out, and your feet didn't blister or swell. Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good.
Deuteronomy 8:1-5 NLT
It turns out that some of my suppositions might have been correct, looking back. After returning home, I found out that I indeed had lost some weight. About seven pounds! But then my secondary guess came to be true as well. I quickly gained it back - probably because of increased appetite after the loss, or psychological compensation, even if I wasn't actually hungrier.
There were a couple moments during the fast where my stomach had a couple brief pains, but as long as I continued to drink water, my body seemed to be satisfied and relatively comfortable - not sure if that defeats the "purpose" or not. I need to study more about fasting and figure out exactly what is the purpose, to my shame. I just felt led to do it, regardless to my understanding. I trust it may have lent itself to helping me not get distracted in my efforts to seek God over the weekend.