The Spiritual Rewards of Fasting
Recently my wife and I did a 32 hour fast - that means we stopped
eating after dinner and didn't eat again until a very early breakfast
the second day after that. I say "very early" because it was all we
could do to sleep through the night given our rumbling stomachs. We're
such wimps.
I think fasting is becoming popular again in the US, for reasons of its health benefits, which are many. But our reasons for fasting, while including those, focused primarily on its spiritual effects.
The effects of fasting on body and spirit have to be experienced to be truly understood. I was reminded of this during our last fast, reminded because I had totally forgotten the play that results between flesh and spirit. Play? No, it's more like a war. And there's nothing like fasting to bring that battle under clear focus.
That first morning, after already fasting for 8 hours the night before, the stand-off commences, with spirit on one side, the appetites of flesh on the other. Let the battle begin!
You are already hungry by this point. It's a more acute hunger than that which precedes a normal day's lunch or dinner, for each night is a mini-fast of its own. Because you're aware that you will be skipping this meal, "break-fast," your flesh starts to complain. I know that attitude has a huge effect on experience, and I swear that the internal bickering that starts at this point amplifies the hunger many times over. The stomach wants food. The Id wants food. The "Me-Monster" wants food (to quote Brian Regan). The spirit wants to fast. The spirit wants to quiet, to subdue, the flesh.
Which side wins depends on discipline of will. I've done fasts where I've gone 5 days with no problem, and others where I intended to go that long but only lasted until the first evening's dinner. Each time it's a mystery, and it's always interesting to see how the play of opposites will turn out. Discipline is one of the big benefits of fasting, and the practice of fasting is what disciplines the will.
Through practice, fasting tempers bodily appetites, diminishing the intensity of the cravings, and places them more firmly under the will of spirit, which, in my opinion at least, is where it belongs.
This effect becomes clear at some indeterminate point during the fast (it will vary each time). At some point, all the constant cravings and temptations to eat will suspend, without warning, and a peaceful calm will envelope body and mind. This is the destination you have been gunning for, and once this peace ensues you have reached your stride in the fast. At this point, the fast is sustainable.
Getting through the turbulence of the initial conflict is the tough part. And oh, there are so many temptations during that time! Neighbors grilling succulent meat, food stands selling salty buttered popcorn, movies that seem to constantly be showing people eating... it's as if they know you are trying to fast and wish to see you stumble.
But if you can survive that initial period, you make it to the suspension of internal conflict and firmly assert your will over your bodily desires. The purpose of this is to be the king of your own castle. To be ruled by your own appetites is a recipe that never ends well - addictions and excesses of all kinds can result, not to mention the illness and/or bankruptcy that often follow those.
Humility is also the reward of fasting, because you realize with renewed appreciation the value of a simple meal, and how lucky you are if you are allowed to forget that fact through absence of want. Never do I appreciate food more, no matter how simple it may be, than after a fast of even one day. I relish that first meal. I soak it in through all senses. I thank God for providing it. I am at peace. I am humbled. Those are some of the spiritual rewards of fasting. Give it a try if you never have before. It's challenging but so worth the effort.
I think fasting is becoming popular again in the US, for reasons of its health benefits, which are many. But our reasons for fasting, while including those, focused primarily on its spiritual effects.
The effects of fasting on body and spirit have to be experienced to be truly understood. I was reminded of this during our last fast, reminded because I had totally forgotten the play that results between flesh and spirit. Play? No, it's more like a war. And there's nothing like fasting to bring that battle under clear focus.
That first morning, after already fasting for 8 hours the night before, the stand-off commences, with spirit on one side, the appetites of flesh on the other. Let the battle begin!
You are already hungry by this point. It's a more acute hunger than that which precedes a normal day's lunch or dinner, for each night is a mini-fast of its own. Because you're aware that you will be skipping this meal, "break-fast," your flesh starts to complain. I know that attitude has a huge effect on experience, and I swear that the internal bickering that starts at this point amplifies the hunger many times over. The stomach wants food. The Id wants food. The "Me-Monster" wants food (to quote Brian Regan). The spirit wants to fast. The spirit wants to quiet, to subdue, the flesh.
Which side wins depends on discipline of will. I've done fasts where I've gone 5 days with no problem, and others where I intended to go that long but only lasted until the first evening's dinner. Each time it's a mystery, and it's always interesting to see how the play of opposites will turn out. Discipline is one of the big benefits of fasting, and the practice of fasting is what disciplines the will.
Through practice, fasting tempers bodily appetites, diminishing the intensity of the cravings, and places them more firmly under the will of spirit, which, in my opinion at least, is where it belongs.
This effect becomes clear at some indeterminate point during the fast (it will vary each time). At some point, all the constant cravings and temptations to eat will suspend, without warning, and a peaceful calm will envelope body and mind. This is the destination you have been gunning for, and once this peace ensues you have reached your stride in the fast. At this point, the fast is sustainable.
Getting through the turbulence of the initial conflict is the tough part. And oh, there are so many temptations during that time! Neighbors grilling succulent meat, food stands selling salty buttered popcorn, movies that seem to constantly be showing people eating... it's as if they know you are trying to fast and wish to see you stumble.
But if you can survive that initial period, you make it to the suspension of internal conflict and firmly assert your will over your bodily desires. The purpose of this is to be the king of your own castle. To be ruled by your own appetites is a recipe that never ends well - addictions and excesses of all kinds can result, not to mention the illness and/or bankruptcy that often follow those.
Humility is also the reward of fasting, because you realize with renewed appreciation the value of a simple meal, and how lucky you are if you are allowed to forget that fact through absence of want. Never do I appreciate food more, no matter how simple it may be, than after a fast of even one day. I relish that first meal. I soak it in through all senses. I thank God for providing it. I am at peace. I am humbled. Those are some of the spiritual rewards of fasting. Give it a try if you never have before. It's challenging but so worth the effort.
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