Rbestmom13

I have to agree with fish4kitty. I am not following your train of thought either. Are you saying there shouldn't be a day set apart for fasting and offerings for the whole church? Are you saying that just because other people know you are fasting it is not effective? The scriptures say that we should not have long faces and groan when we are fasting because we don't fast to get attention. But it never says that we should not fast if other people know we are fasting. The point is the feelings we get when we fast. I don't think it matters if other people know we are fasting. For example, there are many people who can't fast and I don't have a clue who can and can't in my ward. On fast Sunday my only concern is that I am humble in my fast. It is not about anyone else but me. My offerings are, again, very personal. Yes they have asked us all to pay a fast offering, but no one knows how much anyone else pays or if they pay. Even the deacons who collect the offerings have no idea how much is given unless they break the rules and look. But what does it matter? We don't give our offerings in front of other people to get their attention or praise. That is what the Savior has warned us about. Our offerings are given privately whether they are all given on the same day or not. No one forces us to fast or pay fast offerings on the first Sunday of every month. No one knows if we do either so therefore it is still a very private thing and I have never known a self glorifying fast myself.

Why are you trying to stay invisible? Maybe there is someone out there who needs you to reach out to them, or even more important, maybe someone is praying to find someone they can reach out to. The Lord established this Church to help us to return to Him. He did it because He knew we all needed others in order to make it. I commend you for returning to church, but my advice is to find your Bishop and talk with him. Don't just go to church, be In the church. There is nothing better than having a good support system when you are trying to make changes. As for fasting, it is the feelings that count more than the specific dos and don'ts, but you should try to abstain from food and water for 24 hours. Good luck to you.