One was about Pres. Henry B. Eyring's talk:
"I love Pres. Henry B. Eyring prays to know what to fast for. That is exceptional!! I want to remember that. Also, this is the third or fourth time this year that I have heard Isaiah chapter 58 referred to, so I am planning to do a much more detailed study of that chapter very soon!"
Well, as it happens, a friend of mine, who is the Teaching for our Times teacher in Relief Society, won't be here this month, and she asked me to cover for her. It turns out that the talk that was assigned for this month is "Is Not This the Fast That I Have Chosen?" by Pres. Henry B. Eyring. So, I was able to do that detailed scripture study of Isaiah 58 a lot sooner than I was expecting to....and I am very grateful!
I gleaned a LOT from the study of both the scripture and the talk! Mainly, that I am not doing very well at fasting! I have become lackadaisical in my approach to the law of the fast lately, and this was certainly my call to repentance!
A few years ago I got physically sick while I was fasting, and so I have been a little skittish about letting myself get so hungry that I start to feel sick. Because of that, I have found all kinds of justifications for ending my fasts earlier than a full 24 hours. I know we need to be mindful of our health and physical circumstances, but I also know that I can do better than I have been.
I also have gotten lazy about my approach to the fast. Sometimes my prayer at the END of the fast has been the first time that I really pray about what I am fasting for in the first place. (Heavenly Father is omnipotent after all, so He knows what I am fasting for, right?!)
Basically, I have been taking all the sacrifice out of my fasts, and that is the point of it in the first place.
I have been, however, faithfully been paying a fast offering at the end of my fasts, but I recognize that I could be more generous in that regard as well.
My scripture study has brought about several goals that I will be focusing on in the coming months to improve my fasting, and, in consequence, my relationship with my Heavenly Father.
1. Consider what I will be fasting for well in advance and write it in my prayer journal.
2. Pray, as I begin my fast, for the strength to complete a full 24 hour fast.
3. Double my fast offerings.
4. Record the blessings/assurances/guidance/answers I receive in my prayer journal.
I know that as I focus on improving my approach to my fasting, that the Lord will "guide [me] continually, and satisfy [my] soul in drought, and make fat [my] bones: and [I] shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." (Isaiah 58:11) I LOVE the poetry of the scriptures! Beautiful!!
