Is your family fasting? Fasting is a powerful way to connect with God, turning our attention away from the bodily and toward the heavenly.

Of course, there is more than just one way to fast. For some, it means no meat on Fridays, for others, it means going without food entirely for a day or more. The Book of Isaiah and Matthew’s Gospel both give great instruction on how to approach spiritual fasting, however you choose to practice it.

Before you fast, it’s crucial that your daughter understands the belief behind fasting as a spiritual practice. Fasting today is often understood through the lens of diet culture: intermittently depriving oneself of food for the sake of losing weight. But spiritual fasting has nothing to do with metabolism and has everything to do with our spiritual health.

Listen to the Raising Godly Girls Minute with Patti Garibay: