Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Spiritual Maulnutrition

This morning was.. well... it was...



It was a morning.



Articulate, ain't I?



While I am at a loss to find the right adjectives to describe our morning, I will simply tell you my condition when Seth came home after his school day.



I was tired. Cranky. Irritable. Hungry.



And whose fault was that?



The Devil.



Really it was. I mean, it was the Devil that made Eden do the naughty things she did today. It had to be the Devil who made me stay up too late last night. And it was for sure the Devil who made the girls get up way too early this morning. And it must have been the Devil that gave Maddie an awful cold. And the Devil keeps the laundry pile growing. And the Devil made me stub my toe, twice. I'm positive it was the Devil who caused the problems with our insurance, which I was on the phone trying to correct on and off all morning long.



So you see... it was the Devil's fault I was tired, cranky and irritable. And hungry! Let's not forget hungry.



Oh all right. The Devil had little, if any, to do with it. It was my fault. All mine.



*sigh*



As Seth walked in the back door, with his coat still on, barely had both feet inside, he looked at my face and said those four beautiful words that make me fall in love him all over again.



"Let's go to lunch."



And so we did. And we didn't go to Taco Bell either! No sirree. We went to a restaurant. Like the kind where a waitress takes your order and the kids have crayons and specials are written in colorful chalks and the booth seat squeaks beneath you in affection.



And I ate. And ate and ate. I ordered a steak and chicken dinner meal even though it was lunch time. I had fries and steamed veggies and bread. Oohhhhoooohhhhh. The feeling of being full made all the tension of the morning melt away like the butter on my warm bread.



As we walked out of the restaurant, I was feeling oh so much better. "Thank you, honey." I said to Seth, "I needed that."



He smiled back and me and said "I know you did.".



What a difference a nice meal can make in a person's attitude and demeanor. I was once again ready for the raging battle against laundry, temper tantrums, germs and the furniture that has been attempting to break my toes. Today I had needed more than a measly peanut butter and jelly sandwhich. I needed substance. I needed to sit and take my time and savor each morsel. I needed a balanced meal of meat and vegetables and bread... and french fries. ;)

As we loaded into the van and headed off to run a few errands, I thought about how foolish I had been to try to operate without any fuel (food) for my body. In a hectic day, I let that basic need slip low on the priority list, when of all the days, it should have been a high priority.

And then it occurred to me that I had done the same with my spiritual nutritional needs. The girls were up and at 'em way before the normal time and my devotions had not happened that morning. On such days, I usually squeeze a chapter... maybe two... of Bible, read hastily and without complete focus. Not only had I been running on empty physically, but spiritually as well.



"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Matthew 4:4

Just as a hearty meal revived my body and gave me the energy I so desperately needed to face the day, time spent being fed by God's Word was needed to sustain my spirit. It seems that just as we face the physical symptoms of low blood sugar and the unsteady energy a lack of healthy food creates, we experience the same ups and downs spiritually because we (meaning I) have failed to constantly, consistently, habitually, on purpose, nourish our souls with the spiritual meat of the Bible.

"Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth to everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."

John 6:27

It never fails that when my Bible doesn't receive my attention as it should that I become discouraged. My spiritual eyes become dim. I don't see God working my life or in others. When my Bible time become just another item of my "to do" list, I feel like a failure. I feel unsettled and frazzled. My focus as I go thorough my day is on myself and worldly things. Mole hills become mountains because my perspective has been distorted.


"The word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path"
Psalm 119:105

Perhaps worst of all, when God's Word is not in it's rightful place in my life, I miss out on feeling God's presence as strongly. My Friend does not talk to me as much, if at all. I know of no more lonely a feeling.


"As the hart panteth for the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."
Psalm 42:1

To not feast on my Bible each and every day would be like living at Old Country Buffett and starving to death. All I need is right there, ready and waiting for me to devour and be nourished.

Thank you, Lord, for Your Word. ♥


Love,

4 comments:

Mrs. Julie Fink said...

So true. So very, very true.

♥ Amy said...

Hmm. Good stuff, Katie. Very well said. Especially the part about starving at Old Country Buffet. That will stick with me. Thank you.

kauffeegrl said...

Loved this post Kayte. You have a real gift with words. It's amazing what a difference getting both physical food and spiritual food into your body can for the soul.

Anonymous said...

Same thing with me.... when I rush through my Bible reading or my prayers with Him then I feel malnourished.

I am going through a tough time with my health but sometimes God does things to slow us down to remind us to come to Him. In our "valleys" are the times when the Footprints poem comes to life.

God is good.

God Bless
Lorena Chapman