Think fast!
And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. –Matthew 6:16-18 (ESV)
Several days ago, I turned on my shower and found the water coming out to be barely tepid. I checked the water heater and sure enough – the pilot had gone out. Unfortunately, modern hot water heaters are a little more complicated than I remembered, a place where gas, water, and electrical components converge to produce a complex combination of comfort, safety, performance monitoring, and failure mitigation that, until recently, was reserved for NASA space missions. Who knew?
I read and followed the instructions for relighting the pilot. The notes assured me that if, upon following the directions I saw a light on the thermostat pulsing every three seconds, then all was well. To my astonishment, that actually happened… for about thirty seconds. Then the pulse was replaced by a recurring double flash.
The diagnostic panel let me know that I was experiencing low thermopile voltage, terminology that was, of course, meaningless to me. Moments later, all indicator lights went dark. I’m not a smart man, but I know when I am out of my depth. I turned off the gas supply and called for professional help. After a quick shower under getting-cooler-by-the-minute water, I set a temporary open code on the garage door to provide access for the plumber and I drove to work.
A couple hours later, I got a call from Otis. Otis said the entire water heater could be replaced immediately for $1800, plus labor and haul-away charges. Or, a part could be ordered and installed for $275 plus labor. Just one catch: It would be three to five business days for the replacement part to arrive. Cheapskate that I am, I decided I could tolerate cold water for a few days.
People fast from different things for different reasons at different times. I wish I could say there was spiritual significance related to my temporary abstinence from warm showers. But, not so much. The dishes and laundry didn’t seem to mind the cold water, and my wife opted to make the hour-long round trip to our daughter’s place when she needed to bathe. But me? Let's just say that a sustained cold spray while lathering up and rinsing off causes some body parts to become more prominent while others seem to go into hiding, and leave it at that. Such was my reality each morning for a week.
I’m still learning about real fasting. It’s a spiritual discipline I’ve not practiced often, certainly not enough to call it a rhythm. The times I have benefited most from fasting were almost unintentional – moments of crisis or seasons of a heavy heart where I was so focused on the situation at hand that I forgot about eating for a time as I prayed my way through it.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus twice uses the phrase, “When you fast…”. It’s not “If you happen to find yourself fasting sometime…”. The assumption seems to be that we will fast. In the cases I just mentioned, I had a very clear sense of my dependence on God, that I was dealing with circumstances I desperately wanted to change and had absolutely no control over.
Perhaps that re-centering on our need for God is part of the point. That, and gratitude. With repairs now completed, I can tell you it’ll be a long time before I take hot water for granted again!