hunger

What do we hunger for?

Why do we think  junk food tastes so good?

These are important questions. Especially as my metabolism slows down and gravity kicks in. But what if we looked at this from another angle.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

Suppose that we went through each day not being confronted by thousands of advertising messages that try to change our behaviour and influence our choices.  What if all the advertising that was spent on junk food was dedicated to green beans and cabbage?

We live in a world that is trying to convince us it knows what we want, and that instant gratification equals real satisfaction. And it will use manipulation of truth, outright lies and all our emotions against us to do it. Who do you think directs all that?

Junk food is a cheap and easy to digest combination of fats, salts and sugars mixed with just enough real food to make it look tasty and sometimes even pass as healthy. The fact that our bodies actually need protein, fat, carbohydrates to function is manipulated, though, and unless you know what exactly you are eating, (beyond the appetizing exterior), it’s hard to know it’s not healthy. Until you find out your arteries are all clogged, and your heart has become sick.

By the same token, there is a lot of “if it feel good, it must be good” thinking out there; it didn’t cost anything to come up with, and is easy to digest, and it lures many away from the real truth. If your spiritual diet is based on this, you won’t know it until one day you realize your heart is sick. I used to believe in a lot of it. For me, it took coming to a place in my life when I realized that all the temporary things I had been trying to fill my spiritual hunger with did not work; my arteries were clogged with half truths, and my heart was shutting down.

Today I recognize that what I really hunger for is right-ness. Good-ness. Truth. And most of all, Love. I have found the source of all this, as you have. But it was not free; it cost a Life. Today we don’t have to live with that gnawing, constant feeling of being empty, we can be “filled”, as Jesus promised. And that’s more satisfying than anything else on earth.

PS: I am using junk food as an example, and not at all trying to tell anyone how to eat! I am certainly not a nutritionist…and personally, I enjoy pizza, just not every day!!

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