Eddie shared that his church is doing a 20-day fast and that he’s been trying to figure out if there’s any way he can participate.
The fast is meant to be spiritual, with the goal of getting closer to God, but Eddie immediately said he didn’t think he could go without food for that long. The fast is modified, starting with liquids and eventually adding a solid meal later in the process, but even that felt overwhelming to him. He explained that food is a big comfort for him, especially after a bad day, and the idea behind the fast is to remove food as a distraction and replace that time and energy with prayer. Eddie admitted he’s never participated before, even though the church does it every year, and his wife recently asked if he wanted to try it this time. He wondered out loud why praying before meals wouldn’t accomplish the same thing and suggested giving up something else instead.
Amy shared that she’s never done the fast either and explained why. She talked about her history with an eating disorder, how it returned after her mom passed away, and the long process of recovery. When the church’s fast came around a few years ago, she had a conversation with their pastor about how certain language around fasting could be triggering for people with active eating disorders or those in recovery. She asked if he could acknowledge that and encourage those people not to participate. He respected her concerns and incorporated that into his message.
The conversation shifted back to Eddie and whether he could realistically fast. Bobby said he has fasted before, including intermittent fasting and a 48-hour fast, and explained that while it’s uncomfortable at first, it does get easier. He said fasting helps strip things back to the essentials and removes distractions. Eddie still wasn’t convinced and said he would be miserable without food, especially with work and being a dad. Bobby suggested starting smaller, like a three-day water fast, and laid out a plan that would minimize disruption to work. The group discussed how the body reacts during a fast, the importance of easing back into eating, and how jumping straight into regular food afterward could be rough. Eddie joked about timing it around a vacation and kept circling back to how much he loves food, especially on the weekends. Food has always played a big role in Eddie’s life. He talked about growing up surrounded by food, thinking about his next meal while eating the current one, and how meals were tied to family, culture, and celebrations. He shared memories of his dad grilling, food being part of every gathering, and even giving tamales as Christmas gifts because of the work and love that goes into making them.
Eddie committed to coming up with a plan and starting the fast next Thursday. The group agreed to check back in the following week to hear what he decided and how it went, including the spiritual side of it. Eddie acknowledged that his word for the year is “serious,” and if he was going to do this, he needed to actually commit.
