Fasting
Simple Ways to Introduce Fasting to Your Kids
What comes to mind when you hear the word fasting?
You probably think about going without food, either skipping a meal or going an entire day without eating. If we are honest, the idea of fasting can feel intimidating, which keeps many of us from practicing this discipline at all. But how do we begin teaching this discipline to our children in a healthy and meaningful way?
Like Bible study, prayer, and Scripture memory, fasting is a spiritual discipline that can help enhance our relationship with God. Fasting is a voluntary act in which a person temporarily gives something up to focus more intently on God. Traditionally, this has been seen through abstaining from food. As a trade-off, we create space in our day to spend more time in prayer and the Word as we learn to better depend on Him.
Most Christians equate fasting with abstaining from food, and many religious traditions practice fasting in this manner. But fasting does not have to be limited to food. What a person fasts from can vary, because the principles behind it remain the same.
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting,
with weeping, and with mourning… Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious
and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.’” - Joel 2:12-13
Why Do We Fast?
Like the other spiritual disciplines, fasting helps a believer grow closer to God. It teaches us that He is the one who can meet our every need, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual. Fasting teaches us to depend on Him. When you sacrifice food for a time, you are declaring that God is the one who sustains you and provides everything you need.
Another gift of fasting is the extra time it creates in your day. When you remove the time you would normally spend eating, you can redirect that time toward reading and studying the Bible, memorizing Scripture, praying, and worship. This allows you more time with the Father and provides a natural way to grow closer to Him.
Fasting Options
While the most common form of fasting is abstaining from food, it might not be the practice that works best for your kids. While they could easily learn to fast from soft drinks or sugar, there are other ways kids can fast. Here are some simple ideas you could discuss with your child. Allow them to choose something that would be a sacrifice for them, leading them to spend more time with God and to depend on Him.
Food: giving up desserts or their favorite snack, choosing water over soft drinks or other beverages
Technology: video games, tablets, phones, streaming services, social media (as they enter their teenage years)
Sports and Other Hobbies: a rest day with no extracurriculars, skipping or limiting practice times, home nights for the family (reserved for more intentional time in the Word)
Regardless of the fast, the principle remains the same. Whatever time you would have been spending on any of these activities, that time should be reallocated to time with God. Fasting teaches our kids to slow down and rest when the world around them is constantly telling them to consume more.
Has your family ever practiced fasting together? Talk with your kids about what they might give up for a short time so they can spend more intentional time with God. For example, your child might choose to give up video games for one evening and use that time to read a short passage of Scripture and pray with you. These small rhythms will have lifelong impacts. Where could your family begin?
Next Week: Easter Family Guide
Thank you ! I never brought up the idea of fasting to my children .. this was a good reminder. I need to incorporate fasting more into my habits of life.
I have given up Instagram for a season and it has helped a lot. That was an app I spent a lot of time on.
I have been fasting from television and TikTok to spend more time growing closer to God, but I did not think to include my boys in the fasting. We've had discussions about my intentional spiritual time with God, but this gives me the confidence to invite them to start a fasting of their own. Getting them to give up TV with me might be a challenge, but starting small with something of their choice is such a great idea.