What happens when we deliberately disrupt the rhythm of consumption in a world where virtually anything can be delivered to our doorstep within hours? This episode dives deep into the countercultural practice of fasting and how it shapes our spiritual lives.
We begin by examining "the water in which we swim" - our culture of immediate gratification where indulgence is celebrated and boredom can be avoided with a few taps on a screen. Against this backdrop, we explore how fasting has faded from Christian practice since the Enlightenment as spirituality became increasingly focused on the intellect rather than embodied practices.
Through biblical examples and personal reflections, we unpack three powerful ways fasting transforms us. First, it makes us more attentive to our deeper longings beneath surface-level desires. Are we building lives for our resumes or our eulogies? Second, fasting reveals our attachments and compulsions, offering freedom from the things that subtly control us. Finally, it teaches compassion by allowing us to briefly experience what millions face daily - hunger without certainty of when the next meal will come.
The spiritual discipline of fasting isn't about earning God's favor or following rigid rules. Rather, it's about waking up to the cultural currents shaping us and creating space to become the deep, mature people our world desperately needs. Whether you've never fasted before or it's a regular practice, this exploration will challenge you to consider how temporarily abstaining from food might reshape your relationship with God, yourself, and others in surprising ways.
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