Are We Confused About Our Hunger?

"You Are The One That We Praise, 

You Are The One We Adore.  

You Give the Healing and Grace Our Hearts Always Hunger For.  

Oh, Our Hearts Always Hunger For."  

This is a song we sang at church on a Sunday and it made me think about hunger.   What are we hungry for?  Are we hungry for the right things?  Are we confused about our hunger?   Let' talk about this, shall we?

Is it possible we have confused our spiritual hunger with physical hunger?  Is it possible that we have such a longing inside of us that isn't being filled spiritually that we are trying to fill it with the wrong things?  Are we trying to fill our Christ shaped void with posessions, relationships, food, etc.?  Those things will never satisfy because that void can only be filled by Christ.  We can chase everything until we have achieved, arrived, gotten everything that we think will satisfy, only to still feel unfulfilled, empty, hollow...you get the idea.

The other lyrics that struck me were these ~

"In the glory of your presence, I find rest for my soul.

In the depths of your love, I find peace makes me whole."

I was struck by how opposite these things are in today's society.  I was especially struck in the midst of the Christmas season, which has been full of parties, programs, gifts to buy, snacks to make, etc.  It has been full, full, full. There hasn't been much rest or peace because of the chaos.  As I was reflecting on my life, I used to live in a state of chaos, busyness, sleep deprivation.  I was on the cycle of more more more.  More accomplishments, more striving, more things, more money, more food, more more more more more more more.  Ugh.  It was exhausting.  

Do you see this too in our society? We don't value rest or peace, which is what makes us whole.  So it is with food.  When we are hungering for the things of God, the physical hunger disappears, at least for me it did.  We learn to treat our bodies as the temples they were created to be.  We want to be healthy, whole, refreshed and ready to thrive in this gift of life we have been given.  Yet, we are so opposite our culture in doing so.  We as a society don't know how to care for ourselves ~ physically, emotionally or socially.  We are complicated, people.  Everything we do in one area affects the other. What we eat affects how we think and feel.  How we feel and think affects how we eat.  If we are satisfied spiritually, we don't long for things that are not good for us.  Does this make sense?

Today in my devotional, "Streams in the Desert," I read this.  I think it is good confirmation.  "We would be better Christians if we spent more time alone, and we would actually accomplish more if we attempted less and spent more time in isolation and quiet waiting upon God.  The world has become too much a part of us, and we are afflicted with the idea that we are not accomplishing anything unless we are always busily running back and forth.  We no longer believe in the importance of a calm retreat where we sit silently in the shade."  BOOM!  I totally agree and this confirms what I was thinking/feeling during worship.  {Love that confirmation, don't you?}

I am not saying I have this figured out, mastered or conquered this at all.  I'm just saying what I have observed for myself. When I don't feel well spiritually, emotionally or mentally, I'm more likely to sacrifice my physical health as a result.  When I feel out of control in my life {too busy, stressed, etc.}, I will get out of control with my eating as well. Do you do this too?  Are you aware of this?  I just wonder if we are confused about our hunger as we are chasing the wrong things? What do you think?