Making More of Our Fast Sunday

As a family, we felt we were not focusing enough on fast Sunday. Sometimes we forgot this important day until Sunday morning when someone would pull out the cereal boxes, and then we would remember. Other times, because we were concentrating more on our stomachs’ growls than on the true meaning of our fast, we became irritated with each other. As a result, our family was not receiving the blessings that can come from honoring fast Sunday. To help us do better, we pondered and prayed about our need, then made three changes in our home that have helped us.

1. The Saturday before fast Sunday, we remind each other what the next day is and ask if anyone has special needs or concerns that we as a family should include in our prayers and fasting.

2. We begin with a prayer dedicated to the purposes of our fast and give thanks for all we have, especially for blessings received that month.

3. Before church on fast Sunday, we gather for a special family time dedicated to tithing and our fast. We prepare our tithing and fast offering to give to a member of the bishopric. During this time, we also focus on our blessings by taking turns to express our gratitude for the Lord’s goodness.

By making these three simple changes, our family has been blessed. We feel the Spirit of the Lord more in our home, and we are more grateful. We also feel more peace and unity as we fast and pray for one another in times of need. Making fast Sunday more meaningful to our family has drawn us closer to each other and to the Lord.

Staci Swinton Brooks, White Oak Ward, Silver Spring Maryland Stake