The other night I was on the way back home from hanging with some friends. It was like 11pm and I had gone over my calories for the day as it was. On my drive I realized that something was up with my body. For a minute I was like unto the meme. Hold up. Wait a minute. Something ain’t right here. And then a sinking thought occurred to me “I may be hungry”
Now as dumb as this sounds it was pretty frustrating to me. I was over my calories as it was and I’m currently abstaining from meet which eliminates pretty much any fast food. I was frustrated because I’ve been watching how much I eat and was now going to have to face the remaining evening hungry or I was going to half to pull over and find some vegetarian option. Waist time, spend money I don’t want to, eat way too many calories. Pretty frustrating for me at that moment.
Part of the problem was also that nothing sounded good. No sweet treat to tickle my tongue. No salty snack to satisfy. As I was driving, I was racking my brain for something, anything I could eat that would fit my dietary needs and maintain low calories and be cheap and taste good. After about 10 mins I just gave up and reached for my handy dandy set of water bottles behind my seat.
I then cracked one open and drank it. And I mean I drank it! The bottle was empty in under 30 seconds. And then it hit me. I wasn’t hungry but thirsty. In fact, as I thought about it I had not drank but half of what I normally drink during a day. So, I grabbed another bottle and then a third and downed them all. It was at this point I realized that I had not been hungry but thirsty and yet I had thought I was hungry. How odd it seemed to me to not know if I was hungry or thirsty. This seems to me to be a fundamental thing about my nature that I should know.
It got me thinking. How many other times have I misread what I was needing. Have I been hungry and thought I was thirst only to down a bottle of water and yet remain un satisfied? I have I been tired and thought I was angry only unable to find what I was angry about? Have I been sad and lonely and thought I have been tired only to sleep and wake and find myself in the same mood. As I thought of it, I could remember several times where I had exactly misread what my nature was telling me and persisted in a miserable state because I thought I knew better.
It then occurred to me that this is how it often is in the Christian life. We see King Benjamin speak almost exactly on this topic when he states for all that Listen that the Natural man is an enemy to God and has been from the fall of Adam and will be forever and ever unless he years to the enticing of the holy spirit.
The natural man is an enemy to god because of his tendency to exactly misread the needs of the soul in the same way I so often misread the needs of my body. As I type this up I am drawn to the question of what hope is there then? If what you understand to be the right response is wrong?
Be not afraid for we are not in this battle alone. In the exact same way as the bystander in the snickers commercial hand the antagonist a snicker claiming “you are not you when you are hungry” we are not with out someone standing there with the spiritual equivalents of a snickers bar or bottle of water.
Of Jesus John says “No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.” Jesus knowing man’s nature and understanding man better than he knows himself has the snickers bar. He looks to us and says you are not you when you are spiritually hungry. He looks to us and says “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever” He says “whoever drinks of the water I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” He says “Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest”
Jesus who knows us better than we know ourselves is calling us even now to come unto him and he will show us the error of our misjudgment and show unto us the cure for our spiritual needs. It is sometimes a hard thing for us to understand but he has walked the path for us, he had trodden the wine press, he has cleared the way.
“You have heard that it was said of old you shall not murder… but I say unto you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment…. You have heard it said you shall not commit adultery but I Say unto you that everyone that looks at someone with lustful intent has already committed adultery… if you eye causes you to sin tear it out… if your right hand causes you to sin cut it off… for it is better that you lose one of your member that that your whole body go into hell… you have heard it said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you… if anyone slaps you on the right cheek turn to him the other also. If anyone would sue you and take your tunic. Let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile go with him two miles… Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… Therefore, you must be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect”
The natural man, the way your mercenary heart will try to guide you is wrong. You are not you when you are spiritually hungry.
Go unto Him who is the bread of life, go unto Him who is the living water. Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
As always I’m praying for thee; please pray for me.