Should young children fast?

Take possession of your stomach, before it takes possession of you. – St. John Climacus

During the West Africa Summit on Christian Education that ACSI organized, one of the speakers emphasized the importance of teaching our students to fast from the age of three.  In that moment, I was quite concerned that he was advising schools to make fasting compulsory for students from the age of three years old.  Coming from the U.S, where fasting is one of the spiritual disciplines that does not get much attention and is often neglected, I quickly dismissed this idea.  However, here in Nigeria, fasting is a regular practice among Christians in the church from a young age so I figured that before I jump to conclusions, I should do some research.  So I did the Reformed thing to do and consulted a friend who just graduated from Calvin Seminary.  

It is very clear that Jesus has given us instructions to fast.  In Matthew 6:16, Jesus says “when you fast” not “if you fast”.  John Piper defines fasting as a “temporary renunciation of something that is in itself good, like food, in order to intensify our expression of need for something greater; namely, God and His work in our lives.”  During the time of the ancient fathers, Jewish mothers would breastfeed their children until the age of three.  Once the child no longer took their mother’s milk, they would begin to fast.  It was seen as a way to help children develop self-control in their eating habits and to stabilize the flesh.  Once this habit was developed from a young age, the child would be able to easily control his/her need for food in the teenage years and beyond.  If they began from a young age, fasting as an adult would not be as burdensome as for someone who is trying to instill that practice at an older age.  

Not only is it important to encourage the practice of fasting with young children, it is also important for them to know why we fast. Lifeway ministries gives a few helpful thoughts on helping children to understand why we fast: 

• Fasting must center on God. If you fast for any reason other than to center on Him; His will and His desire, it will be in vain.  Our fasting is a way to express our longing for Christ’s return.  It is a way of saying that we will not be enslaved by food as a source for satisfaction. 
• Fasting reminds us that God is our provider of every good and perfect gift. Help kids find this reality through fasting.
• Fasting helps us focus. The point of a fast is to focus on a particular issue, need, concern, or desire. Determine the point and be very intentional to share and help kids understand.
• Fasting is a discipline not a punishment. Don’t use the Biblical discipline of fasting to ease your guilt or need to punish poor behavior.  By no means should a child or a teenager be forced to fast if they feel overburdened by it.  It will not benefit their soul in any way and more often than not, it will actually harden their hearts against fasting.  It must be voluntary self-restraint.  Children must be invited into the spiritual discipline of fasting, not forced.
• Model biblical fasting. Kids learn more from what they see than what they simply hear. When teaching the discipline of fasting, know that you can’t lead kids to do something that you’re not willing to do yourself.
• Don’t sell kids short. While the practice and understanding of Biblical fasting will be best suited for older kids, teaching and allowing kids to participate in age-appropriate ways will lay foundations for deeper and more meaningful experiences in the future.  

This has challenged me to think about how we can incorporate fasting into the school culture but also into my own routine.  In a school, it might look like a monthly routine in the school where students are invited to fast together for a specific concern or desire within their community or nation.  It could also look like fasting from technology, from sweets, or by making healthier choices for school lunches.  It could also happen voluntarily within a classroom to raise up a specific concern among students to God.  

I have also been convicted of my own need to make fasting a habit, especially because I love all types of food.  My stomach often takes possession of me.  I have begun trying to make a weekly habit of it on Thursdays and to pick a specific need to pray for throughout that day.  In North America, we have a great opportunity to learn from the church and from Christian schools in Nigeria to invite children into the spiritual discipline of fasting from a young age.  

http://orthochristian.com/52084.html

https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/why-do-christians-fast

https://www.lifeway.com/kidsministry/2014/01/02/fasting-teaching-kids-spiritual-disciplines/