I did not grow up knowing what fasting really was, even though I grew up in church. Throughout my life, though, fasting has been something that continues to show me 1. how weak I am. 2. how much I need Jesus. So how do you pass on fasting to your children, especially young children who are growing? I personally do not think it is a good idea for children to fast from all food since their bodies are still developing. One thing we eat a lot in our house, and maybe in your house too, is sweets. What kind of sweets do we eat?
Top ten sweets eaten in our house.
10. ice cream (samples)
9. pop
8. pudding
7. ice cream (sandwiches)
6. candy bars
5. ice cream toppings
4. ice cream (in a cup)
3. chocolate mocha cheesecake (my wife's secret recipe)
2. chocolate chips in the fridge door
1. ice cream (in a bowl)
So every once in a while we have a sweets fast where we do not eat sweets, sugary cereals, pop, etc, etc. The kids pass the chocolate milk at school and get plain milk, and we deny ourselves ice cream and chocolate chips for a week. What are the benefits? We realize how weak we are, and how much we are driven by food and sweets. We also appreciate the sweets when we break the fast Friday night. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
maybe I should've gone with a week instead of the whole season of Lent....
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