Fasting and the Healing Process

Last week as I was struggling more than usual emotionally and thinking about some difficult things I had ahead of me I knew I needed more strength than I had on my own.  While at work on Wednesday the thought came that I needed to fast starting right then for the strength I needed to heal.  I've fasted for this before, especially the past year, but with the combination of struggling emotionally and feeling like I've been hitting major roadblocks I needed to do it again.

 "And because fasting with prayer is the Lord’s law, it gave us access to all He can do—and He can do anything.  Anything was possible, if it were the Lord’s will." (An Unexpected Healing)

"The purpose of our fast may be a very personal one. Fasting can help us overcome personal flaws and sins. It can help us overcome our weaknesses—help them become strengths. Fasting can help us become more humble, less prideful, less selfish, and more concerned about the needs of others. It can help us see more clearly our own mistakes and weaknesses and help us be less prone to criticize others. Or our fast may have a focus on a family challenge. A family fast might help increase love and appreciation among family members and reduce the amount of contention in the family, or we might fast as a couple to strengthen our marriage bonds." (The Blessings of a Proper Fast, Car B. Pratt) 

As I knelt down in pray to begin my fast on Wednesday afternoon I was able to express my gratitude,  what I needed, and counsel with my Father in Heaven.  I thanked Him for providing a Savior for me.  I do not fully understand the Atonement but I do know that as I have turned to the Savior my pain has been lessened.  I asked for courage and bravery to be able to face the challenges in this healing process, to let myself feel, speak of my past, and let myself work through it verses running from it.  Heavenly Father understands our needs but as I was able to express them in prayer I better understood them myself and what I needed to do to receive greater strength.

The next day while continuing my fast I felt greater peace throughout the day.  As I continued to pray for added strength that I did not have on my own someone unexpected said, "And if you cannot do it on your own, we will do it together."  My jaw almost dropped right then and there.  Very simple words, "we will do it together" from someone who didn't know I was fasting however coupled with the purpose of my fast I knew Heavenly Father was listening.

Not only does fasting bring spiritual blessings but it also helped me to stay in the present and feel more than usual.  *May I make a word of caution, as much as this fast has blessed my life, it is important that we do not fast in excess.  Anorexia is not proper fasting and will not bring about spiritual or emotional progression.*  During the day my subtle hunger pains kept me grounded and would remind me that even though I didn't have the strength to heal on my own, the Savior did.

Thursday ended up being an unexpectedly long day and I was not able to break my fast when I planned.  My body began to get weak and it was difficult to think but during this I felt I was reconnected with feeling.  Even though I was starving at the end, I felt.  I was not disconnected or disassociating.  When I was finally able to break my fast and eat, I tasted every bite of my food and savored it.   This was good practice of mindfulness for me.

"Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you're mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience." (Mindfulness)

"If we fast properly the Lord promises: “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. …

“And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, … and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not” (Isa. 58:8–11).(The Blessings of a Proper Fast, Car B. Pratt)

As we continue on the path of healing, we will face roadblocks, we will struggle and feel alone but it is in those moments when we realize we cannot do it alone, we must turn to the Savior.  He is there standing with open arms saying, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29)