I could smell the donut.

But I declined when my friends offered me one.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want the donut, but I was in the middle of a 47-hour fast—and I didn’t want to break my commitment.

I’m known for willingly trying untraditional things to help me age well, which explains why my book How to Fight Anxiety with Joy had five pages of references about natural options for physical and mental health. So when I started hearing about the physical benefits of fasting, I was intrigued. I began intermittent fasting and worked my way up to a 24-hour and then a 36-hour fast. At the time of the donut, I was on the longest one to date.

But something kept niggling at the back of my mind. See, both of my daughters attended Christian universities where they had learned about spiritual disciplines, including fasting. One reminded me that in Jesus’ well-known Sermon on the Mount, he mentioned when you give, when you pray, when you fast (that list is in Matthew 6). Well, I was familiar with giving and praying, but fasting wasn’t on my radar. I wondered why. Still, it was challenging me because I knew I don’t have to pray or have to give or have to fast, but I knew my faith is deeper when I am generous and when I pray. (As a bonus, physical benefits follow those too.) So why was I first looking at the physical benefits of fasting and not considering the spiritual? I decided to change that.

(Mid-post confession: I feel awkward talking about this because at the start of Jesus’ same sermon, he said, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (verse 1). So please know I’m not looking for some “Christian of the Year” award and this is not a medical advice discussion. This is simply a thought starter from one child of God to another.)

I looked up references to fasting in the Bible: Jesus fasted after his baptism (Luke 4:2), David fasted to ask God to spare his son (a prayer not answered the way David had hoped, 2 Samuel 12:16), Nehemiah used fasting as a time to confess his sins and the Israelites’ sins and ask God to bless his attempts to rebuild Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:4), the early church in Antioch worshiped and fasted (Acts 13:2), and Paul and Barnabas fasted when they appointed leaders (Acts 14:23).

Still, the Bible didn’t give specifics, which is probably a good thing so I wouldn’t get caught up in the “rules” of fasting and ignore the gift of fasting. I wanted to use the opportunity to say no to a good gift from God (food) and then focus my heart and mind on God himself—the Giver of every good and perfect gift who invites me to talk boldly to him about my joys and my concerns. So that’s what I did. I now choose certain times to fast and pick my prayer topics for that time frame. The topics range from my family to people I love who are hurting, from our nation to my own spiritual growth. And so far, it has been a blessing, both spiritually and physically—in that specific order.

If you’re interested in fasting, there are lots of ways to approach it. Maybe you just give up lunch one day a week (or for one week); maybe you choose a length of time to fast. Maybe you sacrifice sugar or cheese or soda or alcohol for a period of time. Some people, depending on age, gender, health or mental health concerns, those with a history of disordered eating, etc., shouldn’t fast. Maybe you fast from something else—social media, television, games on your phone, shopping. No matter what you set aside for a little bit, use that time for your spiritual benefit: listening to a Christian podcast, reading a devotion, praying, playing worship music.

Finally, the more I fast, the more I meet other people who have shared their experiences—a cousin who fasts on Wednesdays and a friend who did a five-day fast (!!!). Because I’m just starting the fasting process, I’d love to hear and learn from you too, so please leave a comment on our Time of Grace social media.

P.S. This month, Pastor Mike isn’t talking about fasting, but he is discussing other gifts from God. Check out this week’s message on the best gift.

Linda Buxa is a writer and editor who is grateful she wasn’t offered pizza or ice cream because that would have been a whole ’nother temptation in the middle of the fast.