Keeping the First Great Commandment and Fasting in Harmony

It saddens me to see thousands, if not millions, of people misunderstand the purpose of fasting.

The first point and crucial bit of understanding is the first great commandment: to love God with all your heart, might and mind.  To love God means to love His designs and order of the earth and cosmos.  If he sends rain on the land, we must love it.  If He sends floods to the land, we must love it too.  We must take the perspective of God and not cling to the limited understanding and fleeting desires of people.

The Taoist story of the old farmer exemplifies this mindset.  The old farmer had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically.

"Maybe," the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed.

"Maybe," replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

“Maybe," answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

“Maybe," said the farmer.

To explain this point a bit differently - God will do what He wills and people must not have the audacity to question His will.  To quote an LDS scripture: "As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream" as to hinder or change the will of God.

Therefore, how do we keep the first great commandment in harmony with the purpose of fasting?  The real purpose of prayer and fasting is to allow yourself to more fully introspect to see and love the will of God.  The purpose is not to change the will of God.  To ask for something contrary to the will of God is to break the first great commandment.  And many times, because of our limited perspective, we think we are praying for something to happen and when it does happen, we think we've supplicated God and he altered his course, when in fact, His course was going that way anyway!

The correct view on prayer and fasting is to humble ourselves to see the cosmos and Nature as it really is and to come to love it as it actually exists!  In this way, we are fully focused on the correct purpose of fasting and obeying the first great commandment.

This is why, in my opinion, people who advocate prayer and fasting for the purpose of getting some external blessing, have a grossly incorrect understanding of it.  If they wish to advocate for this stance, they must always add to their prayers and fasts the reserve clause "if it be Thy will."  This is vital, as it helps people always to keep in mind the first great commandment.

My wish, for all my fellow sisters and brothers in the Mormon community and those who will participate with them, as they enter a special fast on April 10, that they take the time to introspect and consider the question: "what is God's will in all this?" and "what is God's will for me in all this?"  Have we all considered the possibility that this pandemic is what God really wants?  And if it is what He wants, then why would we ask for him to change His mind?  Don't we want the wisdom of God to lead our lives?  Are we saying our wisdom is better than His?

Recognize that much of this (the pandemic, God's will, the economy) are out of our control.  What is in our control is our attitude and our acceptance of events as they actually happen.  Furthermore, what is in our control is how much we will contribute to charities that will feed the hungry, the poor, the unemployed and the elderly.  What is in our control is how we will serve others and how we can brighten people's lives as many of us are in isolation.

An ancient Roman Stoic philosopher counseled his students with some wise advice: Don't ask for things to happen as you would like them to, but wish them to happen as they actually do, and you will be all right (Epictetus, Enchiridion 8).

Further reading on the correct view of prayer and fasting: Fasting is Not Twisting God's Arm

March Week 4 - Fasting

Isaiah 58 is one of the best passages on Fasting
Isaiah 58 (NIV Isaiah 58)
my commentary on Isaiah 58

What fasting does for us
Fasting is about breaking bondage.  Bondage from sin, bondage from oppression and injustice, bondage from hunger, bondage from homelessness, bondage from nakedness (see verses 6-7).

How does this apply to you?  Fasting can help with:
- trials
- school
- sports
- addictions
- self-discipline
- health

All of these are examples of a type of bondage we may suffer.

Besides the benefits of breaking bondages, we also receive blessings and benefits from fasting.  Light (knowledge) will enter your life, you will be physically healed, you will have greater righteousness (justice with others and wisdom for yourself), greater power and concern from God (better responses and response times from God) (see verses 8-9).

What blessing will you receive from fasting?
- greater knowledge (smarter)
- health and healing
- greater love for others
- wisdom
- power from God

What others have said of fasting
“When a person starts a fast, biochemical adjustments begin in the bloodstream to compensate for the lack of food. A carbohydrate substance known as glycogen is released from storage areas in the liver and the muscles. The body uses glycogen as food to keep cells supplied with energy. After 24 hours this food source is used up, and another source of energy is needed.

“Dr. Siegfried Heyden of Duke University’s Department of Community and Family Medicine says when this happens, the body starts looking for other energy sources. ‘The first thing happening after a 24-hour fast is the breakdown of fat cells. And these fat cells, when they break down, produce ketone bodies, as they are called. And these ketone bodies seem to have an effect on our psyche in that they make us no longer hungry.’” (source)

The human body spends a lot of energy digesting food.  When it does not have to spend time digesting food, it can dedicate energy to body repairs.  The body will search for dead cells, damaged tissues and other areas including fatty deposits and tumors and basically eat these 'bad' cells.

The mind becomes more self-aware and elevated.  For those who suffer depression or anxiety, fasting may help.  Time that would have been spent on preparing food, can now be spent in meditation or rest.  The Greek philosopher Plato said he fasted for greater physical and mental efficiency.

Mental power and focus increase during fasting.  Think of what happens to you after a large meal or Thanksgiving dinner.  You literally become dumb and sleepy, because your body is using all that energy to digesting all that extra food.  The opposite is true; your mind becomes more focused and sharper because all your energy is available since the body does not have to digest food.

Summary of benefits of fasting (source)

• improved mental clarity; no more brain fog  
• rapid, safe weight loss
• balanced nervous system
• increased energy
• need less sleep
• revitalized organs
• improved skin
• improved movement, agility
• fuller, freer and deeper breathing
• rejuvenated digestive system
• restored acute sensitivity (taste) to food
• increased confidence in our ability to have self-control
• restored normal metabolic and cell oxygenation
• detoxification of  things that cause disease (fat cells, plaques, mucus, tumors, stored up worries and emotions)

living a christ-centered life

this guidance about living a christ-centered life is probably more specific about how to live a christ-centered life in this post-modern age.  below are seven ideas for striving to live a more christ-centered life in 2013 and beyond.

#1 - less is more.  our calendars are over-scheduled with practices, school events, church events, meetings, tv shows, movies, video games, smartphone apps, the internet, dates, engagements, camp outs, parties and the list goes on and one.  our calendars are particularly full in the months of october, november and december.  just this month, our local ward carried out five activities over 4 weeks.  there were no activities in september or august.  if we are gong to center our life on christ, we must push back against the tide of activities that sap time from our meditation, scripture study and communing with god. (read o be wise by elder ballard).

#2 - manage tech in your life.  we are always on our phones, tablets and computers.  just as we fast from food and water, we must fast from technology more often.  abolish tech from your kitchen dinner table when dinner is served.  read a book instead of playing the latest and addictive game.  limit your time using social media, playing games, watching tv and movies.  rather, go on a walk, exercise more, meditate and commune with god more.

#3 - develop integrity.  do you know what integrity means?  it means being honest, having strong moral principals and being morally upright.  it means being in a whole (complete) state and undivided.  think of a piece of wood or a slab of cement.  if it has cracks or rot, it does not have integrity - it will break at the weak point when it experiences stress.  but if the piece of wood or cement slab has integrity, it is strong throughout.  we need to develop our integrity and moral people.

#4 - repent.  as part of developing your moral integrity, we must all repent.  to do that, we need to understand what christ taught and then we must compare our life to his teachings and then determine where we are weak.  and where we are weak, but must turn that weakness into a strenth (ether 12:27).  if we are weak in honesty, then we must develop the attribute of honesty.  repentance and discipline must go hand in hand.

#5 - study the life of christ.  if we would have our life centered in christ, we must know who he is; what he taught.  make studying the scriptures a daily habit.  study the new testament; especially the gospels.  study the book of mormon and note those sections that speak and talk of christ.  listen to and read the general conference talks.  note all the words that speak of christ-like discipleship.  learn the attributes of christ and develop them in your life.  there are numerous resources on the teachings of christ ... if you seek, you shall find.

#6 - make and keep covenants with god.  christ was baptized to covenant with god that he would follow him.  we too should enter covenants with god.  you can do this by being baptized and regularly partaking of the sacrament.  you can even enter the temple to make additional, specific covenants with god.  once you make those covenants, do all that you can to keep them.  as part of those covenants, promise to serve others.  serve by paying tithes and offerings, giving service, helping others, counseling and teaching others and by simply loving.  if you fail to keep any covenant you've made, see point number 4 above.

#7 - come unto christ.  in summary, to make your life centered in christ, then come unto him (see john 14:6).  the prophet ameleki in the book of mormon has some very wise counsel, "i would that ye should come unto christ, who is the holy one of isreal, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption.  yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and prayer, and endure to the end; and as the lord liveth ye will be saved." (omni 1:26)

was this helpful?  what other ways can you strive to live a christ-centered life in this post-modern world?