Raspberry Road

Fast Sunday is hard. Really hard for our whole family. Not fun. Yesterday we ate at 4:00 and Eric and Madi were with us. They sat at the table with us but didn’t eat because they were fasting until 6. Madi’s family was having a special fast together for her brother Stockton who is on his mission in Peru and is struggling. He is wanting to come home. Missions are so hard the first few months!

I sent them this text today. I’m so proud of them ♡

I’m thinking about you two today. I’m so proud of you for fasting with such discipline while we all ate in front of you yesterday! You had an invested, truly caring purpose. And it is hard!

And yesterday I was thinking about when we were talking about how hard fasting is and why do we do it. While we were all together having fun with the trivia game, the thought came that we “mourn with those that mourn”. Fasting is a physical way to suffer ourselves for someone else. To feel the pain for someone else in pain. To truly carry some of that pain with someone, for someone.

That’s a part of what fasting can be I think. Being willing to feel discomfort for another person. To give them part of us to be with them and help them.

I felt that for the first time when I fasted with Wakefield family members for Aunt Clydie when her son Jared died. My fasting felt like I was actually feeling some of her pain, which was hard and not fun for me, but that it was helping her carry her burden and supporting her.

Thank you for sacrificing. For doing hard things. For being an example to me and our family yesterday ♡

I searched this up just now looking for “mourn with those that mourn” and I love how it says “shared emotional experience, meaning to enter into someone’s pain”

That’s what Christ did for us, and we get to experience that for someone else.

There’s power in that! No matter the outcome. We are there to support without judgment, only love.

Love you two so much!