How’s Your Appetite?
This post was originally published for Encouragement from Women Who’ve Been There. I am currently taking a break for the Christmas holiday to be with my family. 💚
Growing up in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, my family planted a huge garden every year. Whatever vegetables or fruits we did not grow ourselves, we rarely bought or ate. It was a very Southern meat and three sides cuisine I was raised eating.
Having the opportunity in high school to travel to Mexico for a mission trip with the youth ministry, the possibility of differences in food vaguely crossed my mind. I mean, Mom made those Ortega taco kits which I loved, and I also liked Taco Bell. 😉 I was good!
However, on the trip Jose and Lupe, a sweet Mexican couple, prepared meals for us and one day made avocado sandwiches for lunch. It was as it sounds – simply mashed avocado on white bread. I had NEVER eaten avocados in my life. (Those don’t grow in East Tennessee!) It was disgusting. Needless to say I didn’t eat lunch that day.
Fast forward about twenty years, and I now LOVE avocados. I also eat avocado toast!
At some point I wanted to try avocados again, and after trying them several times, my taste buds changed where I enjoyed eating them. Crazily enough, there are times I crave avocado toast. Who would have known many years ago how I would change when I pouted over a similar meal provided me?
This makes me think of spiritual matters. How much do we hunger for our God? Our loving God who desires us to come to Him every day? Do we long for His presence, long to spend time in prayer with Him, and long to read the truth of His Word? Do we desire to hear men of God preach the Bible, desire for fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and desire to worship and praise His holy name?
Maybe you don’t, so what do you do? Just as I developed a taste for avocados by consistently trying them, you must go to the Lord day after day. Once you start spending time with Him, you will want more. You will see how His presence in your life makes each day easier. You will hunger for that time with God.
Many verses speak of our hunger and thirst for God and His willingness to fulfill our needs (Isaiah 55:1-2, Psalm 63:1, John 4:14, John 6:35, John 7:37, Revelation 22:17). What is our appetite for the things of God? Find a quiet time today and “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8). He will satisfy your hunger. 💕