What are you hungry for?

What are you hungry for?

I hunger for food.  Good food.  Lots of food.  Food of all kinds. 

I hunger for new clothes.  Fancy dresses.  White capri pants.  Floral tops.  Strappy sandals.  Cute earrings.

I hunger for furniture.  An armchair for our living room.  A patio table for our deck.

I hunger for kitchen appliances.  A Vitamix.  A tofu press.  A potato ricer.

I hunger for social interaction.  A friend to run with.  A night out with a girlfriend.

I hunger for gifts.  Notes letting me know you care.  Affection.  Attention.  Phone calls.

But the thing I hunger for most of all is the love of God, a relationship with the Son, and life everlasting.  Yet the thing that gets thrown to the back burner all too often is my attention to this hunger.

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.  
                 John 6:35


What is your bread?  What do you fill up on?  Is it Jesus?  Or is it food, shopping, and friends?  None of which are negative things, but when put before the Lord can become idols.  

All too often I fill my "Jesus shaped hole" with other desires, expecting them to make me happy.  To make me satisfied.  When I am still left feeling empty, I question why.  Today I know why.  Despite my repetitive declarations to spend more quiet time with the Lord, I still allow myself to be swept into the chaos of life, the business of the day, and the urge to indulge.  


Slow down.  Be still.  


Silence is so uncomfortable.  I tend to fill my moments with noise.  Whether it is the radio, the television, or just the ramblings of my inner thoughts, rarely is their a moment of quiet, of stillness.  Even eating quietly at the table on my own is a beast of a burden.  I want to eat in front of the television, or while catching up on blogs.  But to sit still, enjoy my food, and be in the moment is very difficult.  


When you pray, what do you say?  Here's a better question...what don't you say?  Too many times I forget to have a conversation with God, and rather I just talk at him.  I don't allow a moment of silence for him to respond.  How about this thought...let's stuff our mouths with the bread so we are unable to speak...and rather just listen to what he wants to say to us.  Have a two-way conversation.  


I am hungry for God's Word.


I am hungry for sanctification.


I am hungry for service.


I am hungry for Jesus.


This week I declare I will spend time in the Word, in silence, in prayer, in praise, in worship, in thanksgiving.