Spiritual Metabolism

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.--Matthew 5:6

I have often heard the expression "it's not what you eat, it's what you swallow." This handy little phrase reminds me that maintaining good physical health is just as much about quantity of intake as it is quality. I happen to have a high rate of metabolism, and this requires that I continuously eat high energy foods in high quantities. Whenever I fail to do so, I become overly tired, cranky, and worst of all, less able to maintain good health. When I'm not feeling well, my energy level starts to dip and as a result I find myself less motivated to eat as much as I need to to regain lost ground.

Not surprisingly, I have found that I have a sort of "spiritual metabolism" as well. Perhaps this is because God designed our souls to reside in a physical body, and as a result, the two function in similar ways. Lately, my spiritual appetite has been waning a bit. I was surprised the other night when I admitted this to myself and my friends. I had been reading my Bible regularly, but I hadn't been internalizing it as I used to. In other words, I was eating, but I wasn't swallowing.

Jesus promised that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness would be filled. Our daily bread must consist not only of just reading God's word, but becoming attuned to God's active presence in our lives. Spending time in individual prayer is one way of feeding our spiritual selves, but we need more than that. We need to meet regularly with people who also know what it means to seek God, and to live a life serving him.

I like knowing that when I become spiritually hungry, I don't need to go very far in order to find something worth ingesting. Consulting my Bible is usually my first step, but beyond that I have the privilege of being married to a godly man who meets my spiritual needs on a practical level. Whenever we do our family devotions together after dinner, the conversation that ensues is practically a feast! Additionally, I happen to have a broad group of Christian friends from church who are willing to share their spiritual meals with me when I'm a bit famished. In one way or another, God never ceases to fill me when I am hungry for Him, and my spiritual health is restored.