If you’re familiar with Marc Brown’s expansive children’s series Arthur, then you know it tackles many aspects of the social experience of childhood, using anthropomorphic characters in a modern school/home setting. While getting my son ready in the morning, we often watch an episode and reflect on its meaning on the way to daycare. One faithful morning we watched an episode called “Arthur’s TV-Free Week” (Season 2 Episode 7).
The plot revolves around a school initiative to encourage family time, by taking a break from television from Monday to the following Monday. Both parents and kids think this will be easy and beneficial. After all, it’s only one week. The struggles begin, as the families realize how habitual their use of TV is. Each of Arthur’s friends struggles in their own way, at times wishing they never signed up for this. But as I watched, I was reminded of the discipline of fasting.
Fasting is voluntarily denying oneself of something (often food or drink) for a set period of time, often with religious significance. Fasting isn’t easy, but we are encouraged to do it, as it illuminates what sustains us. Food is the most common example in which we see in Christ teaching in Matt 4:4, and illustrate that we do not live on bread alone but by the word of God. But in modern times like Arthur, many of us struggle to pull ourselves from our smart devices and media feeds. For the modern person, we’re often seeking a dopamine high or an escape from daily struggles; neither are on their own bad things, but companies manipulate those desires to hook us for their benefit. And our habits are often so common we don’t even notice. Breaking those routines with fasting is one gift that strengthens our muscles of self-control and reconnects us with God. Whether it’s Elijah (1 Kings 19), Moses (Ex 34:28-35), or Christ (Matt 4), fasting is demonstrated as not just a self-growth tool but as a way to connect with our creator.
Arthur’s best friend (a rabbit named Buster) has some of the biggest struggles. He loves a TV series called Bionic Bunny and is ready to give up after one day away from TV. To add to the struggle, his single mother doesn’t have as much time for him, so in his loneliness, he paces, focusing on the one thing he’s forbidden to do. But with the love and encouragement from his friends at school, he is pulled out of that spiral. He finds a love of meeting the needs of his bored friends through storytelling, which gives him purpose and focus beyond his habits. But even that doesn’t last. On the day before the end of the fast, both Arthur and Buster secretly attempt to visit their one friend who never took on the fast so they can catch a TV special. They bump into each other, ashamed, but knowing someone else struggles as they do reminds them they aren’t alone. And they decide to spend time playing together and bonding rather than breaking their fast. Together, they hold each other to their commitment. Together, families find strength to break their media habits, and together, they learn to focus on what really matters.
When we fast, it is important to understand we aren’t alone. We have a community that wishes us the best and is willing to support us. And to top that off, we have a God who says he will never leave us or forsake us. If you are so moved, I encourage you to try fasting and let God help you reset and strengthen those spiritual muscles wherever you may struggle. And even if you don’t have kids, go watch Arthur and see what nuggets of truth you can pull from its message.