How Fasting Blesses Others

I had an opportunity to teach Fasting again today, but really, the class taught me. I started the lesson from the perspective of "What can Fasting do for me?" while the class changed the focus to "What can our Fasting do for others?" and the answer was "A lot."

A big part of how our fasting can help others is by our contributing Fast Offerings. When we give Fast Offerings, the money we donate goes to feed and shelter the poor and the hungry. And unlike some other charities, our organization is staffed almost entirely (if not entirely) by volunteers, so all of the money we contribute in Fast Offerings goes to where it's needed.

But even greater than the financial blessings Fast Offerings can provide are the spiritual blessings that the Fasting itself can provide. Fasting gives our prayers greater power, and when we fast for blessings, especially for blessings for others, our prayers are often answered in a strong way. Miracles have been performed because saints have fasted for them. When we pray and fast for the blessing of others, they will be blessed.

Of course, Fasting holds blessings for us, too, even when we aren't praying for ourselves. All of the lame blessings I started teaching about, like teaching us self-control, still apply, and God blesses us whenever we do anything that blesses others. But one of the better blessings we can get from Fasting is the feeling that we played a role in helping God bless others. Securing blessings for ourselves is good and all, but it feels even better to be a blessing in the lives of others.