spiritual food

I like food. A lot.

I have had occasion where I have practiced the discipline of fasting from food. It has been at times when I felt God prompting me to humble myself and remember that there is more to this world than just the physical. There is a spiritual realm and sometimes my physical self is so loud and demanding and "in the way" that I don't seem to hear my spiritual self. So, I have found that fasting from food gives me an opportunity to tell my loud, demanding physical self to SHUT UP and take NO for an answer for a while while I focus on my spiritual self.

This morning in my devotional, I was challenged to think about prayer as my spiritual food. Prayer isn't just a time to come before God and ask Him for things. It is my time to nourish Jesus who lives in me. Without that time of prayer, the spirit within me is starving.

And I wonder if I truly ever FEEL my spirit crying out in hunger like I do when I am physically hungry?

When I am feasting on a daily abundance of prayer and time with God, my spirit is full. Full of peace and joy and contentment. And, yes, when I don't feed my spirit, I do feel it. I find that the more time I spend feeding my spirit, the more I crave it. The louder that spiritual self becomes. The more tuned in I am to truth and to the promptings I believe are from God, the more I feel like life makes sense and I have hope.

It amazes me that so many people genuinely crave that spiritual food, but they neglect to really seek it out and satisfy their appetite. Can you imagine if you were physically hungry and kept asking people for advice on how to satiate the hunger, yet every time someone recommended that you spend some time eating, you say you tried that, but you just don't have time for it?

So, I hope I can remember to feed my spirit. Not just once a day. Not just a quick "thanks" before I eat. Not just to beg for help when I'm at my wits end. But, to really feed on God throughout every day of my life.

Because, as I noted in my journal this morning, I am so connected to God during my quiet time with him in the morning. During that time I feel so alive and the moment feels so sacred. But my challenge is to keep that holy, sacred perspective throughout my day. To keep my eyes open to opportunities to love, to demonstrate grace and mercy and compassion. One way I can be more focused is to continue to feed my spirit. Day and night.

I need spiritual food.