In the Church we fast (abstain from food and water) one Sunday each month. As part of the fast we pray for individuals who are sick or have other challenges and we also donate the money we would have spent on food to those in need. Over the years, this has been a wonderful religious tradition that has blessed our lives. Typically young children don't fast (for obvious reasons) but last week we had a cool experience with our eight year old son Isaac. On Saturday Callie and I took Isaac and visited a member of our church named Jack that has colon cancer and has been on Chemo and Radiation for a few weeks to shrink the tumor. This poor brother had a red rash all over his body and lesions all over his mouth and lips from the Radiation. Despite his difficult situation, he was in good spirits during our visit.
To be honest, I didn't really think about the impact this might have on Isaac. The next day (a fast Sunday), as Callie shared with me, she was in the kitchen reminding our older kids that it was fast Sunday when Isaac spoke up and said, "I'm already fasting mom." She was a little surprised, and then asked "But are you fasting with a purpose in mind?" Expecting him to say no, she was so happy to hear him say, "I'm fasting for Jack!" This brought tears to my eyes when she told me.
Sometimes we wonder if our kids are developing charitable attributes...but apparently they are!
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