Hunger and Empty Calories

Anybody hungry?  That's a pretty easily answered question.  From our infancy, we recognize the need for food.  When we are tiny, we cry for it until someone satisfies our craving by bringing us a bottle.  As soon as we develop the least little bit of language, we ask for "milk" or "cookie" or whatever we know how to say in an effort to get those hunger pangs under control.

The more we mature, the more control we have over what we put in our mouths.  Sometimes we make good, healthy choices and sometimes we consume junk.  We wrestle with our weight and vow to control our diet.  Food is a constant in all of our lives.  We depend on it for nutrition and we enjoy it for its taste.  We plan, we shop, we cook, we share, we celebrate - all with food.

God gave living beings the sensation of hunger to ensure that we would seek the food that we need so we could survive. I believe He also gives us a sensation of spiritual hunger to draw us to Himself. 

Sometimes when our family is out in our van, my two-year-old granddaughter passes the time by pretending different things.  One of her games of imagination involves giving everyone in the vehicle virtual gummy bears.  They are always pink.  She puts some in my hand and tosses them over her head to her papaw and her daddy in the front seat.  It's a delightful little game and we all play along - thanking her for her gift, but her gummies have no taste, no calories, and no nutrition. We don't get any enjoyment or any energy from what she provides to us.  Imaginary food profits nothing, even if it's fun.

In our lives as Christians, we sometimes settle for fun things that profit nothing instead of pursuing things that are spiritually nutritious, that provide energy for our lives and yes - that we can enjoy. The Bible tells us to "taste and see that the Lord is good".  However, we settle for the food of the world that is at best bland, and at worst - poison.

Are you feeding your hunger with empty calories?  How is that working out for you?  It's not working out too well for me and I'm asking God to direct my choices so that I am taking in that which He knows will strengthen me and help me grow.