Fasting for spiritual reasons seems to be almost a taboo subject in Scotland and this vexes me. Im sure that there are a few folk who are up to it, hidden away in secret nooks and paranoid crannies. But why are we so scared of talking about giving up food or some creature comfort for short periods of time? Is it some thing to do with an inherent fear of boasting? Perhaps we're worried about inadvertently encouraging eating disorders. Perhaps we're just worried people will see us as freaks.
In this spirit I would like to officially out myself right here and now: I was fortunate to have been introduced to fasting very early in my Christian life and have found it to be of unfathomable usefulness. I recommend it to anyone who is healthy and wants to know God better.
I quite agree that there are aspects of fasting that are inherently private but Im not advocating that we just go about spilling our guts about everything to any punter that happens to be passing. And obviously we have to be careful about the possible dangers and put a bit of thought into it, but thats no reason to write it off completely.
If you do have a go Id recommend taking medical advice , avoiding hard physical labour while your actually at it and making sure you drink plenty of water. And much like tripping on LSD, I find it helpful to tell one person what you're doing just in case.
Praying every time you would usually be eating is not only amazing for yer relationship with God, but it makes us realise just how much unnecessary crap we really can cram down our throats in a day. Fasting also
forces you to slow down. It forces us to think things out and gives us time for new perspectives.
Self discipline, dignity, compassion. Fasting offers a window on all these and more. And lets not forget the mysterious way it seems to convert our prayer into heavenly, incorporeal molotov-cocktails.
I reckon theres allot at stake, and we, in our polite silence, are missing out. So lets not make a big deal of it, but lets at least be ok with talking about it.
