I always knew what fasting was. I had childhood memories of my mother cooking us dinner only to sit and watch us eat without her. I remember wondering what she was doing and not fully understanding why someone would want to skip meals, and what that had to do with my relationship with God. Fast forward to now, as 18-year-old me decides to fast from food for 30 hours.

Merriam Webster's definition of fasting is "to abstain from food" or "to eat sparingly or abstain from some foods." Throughout the Bible, fasting is referred to and practiced, the most famous account being in Matthew 4 when Jesus fasts in the desert for 40 days and nights.

There, the Devil tempts Jesus three times, first asking Jesus why he does not turn a nearby rock into bread. In Matthew 4:4 Jesus infamously replies, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Here Jesus points out an important characteristic in fasting in the Christian church, and that is the truth that ultimately The Lord provides the strength that food does not.

Growing up in the church and from a Christian family, I have grown up hearing about fasting and have had numerous opportunities to fast over the years. I have fasted from social media, television and even sweets like soda and chocolate. Each time has taught me more and more about myself and my relationship with God.

This fall, I felt a twinge in my heart to do something different this time. A group I am involved with at Texas A&M did a fundraiser for a Christian Organization called World Vision, whose goal is to provide money, food, and resources to as well as share Jesus to places where these necessities are scarce.

Within World Vision, there is an event known as 30 Hour Famine, where everyone participating gives something up for 30 hours while raising money and awareness for World Vision. (You can find out more about World Vision and 30 Hour Famine here.) After some serious thinking and soul-searching, I decided to fast from food for 30 hours.

The famine started at 11:00 a.m., and within hours, I was starving. I sat in my afternoon classes already hungry and already doubting how on Earth I was going to complete this task. 5:00 the next day seemed eternities away. As my energy and endurance were quickly slipping in those first few hours, The Lord tugged at my heart as I read Matthew 6:16-18:

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (NIV 1984)

Those words convicted me. Here I was, fasting not only for a good cause but for the greater purpose of glorifying God, moaning and groaning exactly like the ones Jesus called out. I knew I needed a major reality check. Because fasting isn't about us. When Jesus was in the desert, He didn't spend 40 days and nights complaining to every person He saw about how hungry He was.

He certainly didn't sit in a corner feeling sorry for Himself. No, Jesus fasted not for Himself but for the Holy Spirit and for God. In the same way, I had to learn to take myself and my emotions completely out of the picture.

The second morning of my fast, more than halfway into the 30 hours, I woke up more refreshed than I had been in weeks, maybe even months. I won't go into amazing detail of the last hours of my fast but I will say this: The Lord provides. And I know that sounds cheesy and cliche and what does a middle-class 18-year-old girl know about the power of provision but I know that I serve a God who is so good that I found greater joy and contentment in the 30 hours I spent without food than in all the meals and days that I feasted. Because it wasn't like I wasn't hungry.

Through my fast, I learned the true meaning of choosing joy despite your circumstances. I learned to lean on The Lord more than I thought possible, letting Him take the reins in new areas of my life.

So I'm not here to tell you that fasting is something I think everyone should do, and I'm not here to tell you how you should and shouldn't do it. I don't think fasting from food is for everyone, and these same principles of dependence on God and choosing joy can apply in almost any life situation. But if you do decide to fast, do it quietly and gracefully, like Jesus did. Do it with the utmost joy, with more joy than you have ever had before. And lastly, step back and watch God work in ways you never thought were possible.