There’s something that I hear on occasion from family and friends who aren’t religiously-minded. I hear “Well, after all, the point of religion is to help you through the tough times” or even, “It’s ok to believe as long as that helps you.”
I think what they mean is that faith is meant to be of assistance to you in your life. And it is. But that doesn’t mean that faith is always warm and fuzzy. Faith is challenging and faith can be hard. It’s not just about what faith does for you but about what you do because of faith. And how those experiences change you, help you to grow, and inform how you move in the world.
Fasting is one example of faith in action. Fasting is hard. It’s really hard. Losing sleep. Pushing fluids in the wee hours of the morning until you’re sick of it followed by hours of denying yourself food and water. Fatigue. Low blood sugar. Headaches. I’m not always happy to be doing it. But it’s not about feeling good; it’s about acting on faith. And acting on my faith is more important than being happy or comfortable. Yet as important as it is to me, I still can’t manage to fast every day. It’s tough stuff.
And the tough stuff is rewarding, too. Discipline is good for us. Self-control is good for us. Developing habits that put something besides our personal desires first is good for us. It develops character. It contributes to maturity. It reminds you that you are not the center of the universe. And that’s valuable. And it takes experiences to get there. Fasting is one of those experiences for me.
There’s plenty I get wrong when it comes to religion. There’s plenty I don’t do, or don’t do well, or fully. But I try, and I rely on God’s mercy where I fail. What more can any of us do?
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