If you’re like me, whenever you hear people discuss fasting, you almost instinctively recoil. As a mother caring for six kids in my home, engaging in anything that at face value appears to make my life harder is a solid, hard pass.
But then, my body began to struggle. My patience began to wane. And my old habits were now not serving me as I had imagined. My chocolate left me with an aching stomach and 15 extra kilos. My coffee inspired an overcharged Mom reasonably than a patient one. My wine was leaving me unrested and unwell. The sugary treats did not offer the comfort I used to be hoping for. My mind and body were on the struggle bus, and my children were the chief targets of my physical and emotional instability.
Full disclosure: The fast that I actually have had to embrace was more of a forced one than an agreed-upon one, but nonetheless, it has modified my mind, body, and soul from the within out.
Over the past few years, stress and these seemingly harmless practices led to me developing an autoimmune condition which means managing quite a lot of pain in my body in addition to struggles with anxiety and depression. Traditional medication was not making me higher. My patience for my family and skill to handle all God has given me were fading. So, fasting has been my last resort.
I’ve slowly let go of my favorite “crutches for comfort” and replaced them with nourishing practices. I gave up wine, weaned off my antidepressants, and swapped coffee for some hot morning tea. Then, the true labor happened. I let go of sugar, dairy, and gluten. I reduced my carbs, specializing in vegetables, lean meat, and a few nuts, and hoping to feel healthy again.
This process and practice have sometimes been “stressful,” but no more stressful than feeling my mind and body spiral uncontrolled. Alongside giving up easy foods and empty carbs, I replaced nighttime Netflix binging with prayer and deep respiratory before bed. I actually have added morning and evening walks in hopes of keeping my stress higher managed. Instead of spending money on dinners out, I’m spending it on Chiropractors and Acupuncturists.
Of course, that is my story of letting go of what most of us feel is “normal” as parents. There isn’t any one-size-fits-all option to select nourishment over quick fixes. Stress management over regular parental combustion. Intentionality over a drive-by faith. And even with all of the aforementioned giving up of things that were leaving me less equipped as a parent, I’m sad to report that I actually have not achieved parental perfection. Apologies are still a obligatory a part of my ‘Mom tool belt’. Still, thankfully, I feel higher in a position to get better when those not-so-pretty moments arise because my nervous system is just not continually living on the sting of complete breakdown because it once was.
Fasting Is a Powerful Spiritual Practice
The moral of my story is that being willing to put aside our lust for simple pleasures in favor of learned discipline not only enables our minds and bodies the capability to parent peacefully, but can be a robust spiritual practice that can assist us break the strongholds that always hold our families back.
Isaiah 58:6 says, “Is not this the fast that I select: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?”
Many of us parents are stuck with bonds of wickedness that hold us back from loving our families the best way that we desire. I fancy myself a fairly good parent, but I do know that I actually have moments during which anger becomes me, during which patience is the last item I show to my people, and during which anxiety defines how I see the long run. These are strongholds that hold me back from being the Mom who each day shares God’s love with my children the best way that He calls me to.
Wicked may feel like a robust word, but when we’re honest, that’s what lives in our hearts. We need the Holy Spirit at work to interrupt the ability our wicked, sinful nature has on us. Parenting is holy work, and it’s also essentially the most difficult work. We higher imagine the enemy is doing all he can to aggravate the long run of our families. We have to be on guard against sin; fasting is one option to confront and break its power in our lives.
Fasting Aligns Our Hearts with God’s and Is a Testimony to Our Families
Matthew 6:18 says, “That your fasting is probably not seen by others but by your Father who’s in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
God is worried with our hearts as parents; fasting is one option to align our hearts with His. He is pleased once we deny ourselves the things that bring us easy pleasure because we seek His Kingdom first.
Others may not see our work once we fast, but our youngsters do.
Living with nourishment, intentionality, health, and patience because the goal could also be a secret to others, but those that live in your home will notice your effort. Your fasting practice is a sworn statement to your loved ones. Overcoming my anxiety and depression, one carrot at a time, it seems, is an observable testimony for my children.
My kids know that Mommy doesn’t eat that, Mommy must exercise, Mommy is overstimulated and desires some quiet, because I’m learning to indicate them that I’m working hard to like them and God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. That means every thing I do within the day is part of my testimony.
If I say I like God but then resign myself to a stressed-out, unhealthy, overstimulated body, my kids won’t imagine me. They see the honest and complete me, and I do know that so far more is caught in parenting than taught.
Being more open about these real needs in my life by setting boundaries around what feels best for me can be so freeing. I’m still a piece in progress, but learning to be honest about my struggles to maintain my mind and body in a healthy state is revolutionary. I actually have more freedom as I learn to live inside these latest confines and acknowledge my limits. When I can say I’m hitting a private wall, I avoid those Momma meltdown moments. Fasting helps me higher hear my body, a Temple from the Lord, and honor its messages; I like everyone in my home significantly better.
The invitation God gives us as parents is to give up our habits to Him. While fasting can feel daunting to begin, as we embrace discipline, we make room for God’s Spirit to work more freely in our lives. We loosen the chains that hold us back from parenting with God’s love, wisdom, and beauty. We also honor the bodies he has given us while living as a holy testimony for our kids.
Photo Credit: @Unsplash/Thiago Cerqueira
