May 29 - Starved and hungry, ravenous but not anorexic
Scripture focus: My soul is starved and hungry, ravenous!— insatiable for your nourishing commands. Psalm 119:20 (The Message)
If you've ever had an eating disorder or known someone who has suffered with anorexia, you may have heard about the spiritual euphoria that accompanies prolonged seasons of fasting. It's true – there comes a point when the hunger disappears and is replaced with a profound sense of well-being, even arrogance. It's an awareness, albeit a foolish insane one, that you can rise above the petty desires that ensnare mere mortals – the need for nourishment. It sounds crazy and it is crazy, but there you have it – a strong neurological motivator for self-starving.
It seems that we are created for a state of deprivation, hunger, thirsting and restlessness. Saint Augustine believed that our hearts will never fully rest, in fact were not created to experience complete and utter rest, until they rest in God.
Reasonable people know that it is neither healthy nor wise to starve. In a way, coming to a place where one can believe that they are past hunger and no longer need to feed the belly is a form of not only insanity but idolatry.
"Our fundamental dis-ease, then, is at once a precise neurological phenomenon and a most precious gift from God. It is not a sign of something wrong, but of something more profoundly right than we could ever dream of. It is no problem to be solved, no pathology to be treated, no disease to be cured. It is our true treasure, the most precious thing we have. It is God's song of love in our soul. Moreover, it is not simply a song sung to us from a faraway God in heaven; it is simultaneously the expression of Christ-with-and-Spirit-in us, sharing our suffering and restlessness, creating and empowering and living in and through the very cells that make us up, preserving our freedom with endless intimate love in everything we do and are. And, always, leaving us unsatisfied, calling." Addiction and Grace, p. 180.
Whew! That's a lot to think about.
To be continued…
Recommended reading: Acts 4 - 7
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2 comments:
I believe my addictive behavior is a symptom of my dis-ease.I leave today with always a deeper questions?Do I medicate my dis-ease with god today?Have I done the work to know what my dis-eases are?Is it my new found trust in god that ease my dis-ease?
peace comes from god. not his way to leave us hanging. the fact that we feel our need for him ,is gift. the fact that he responds and sends peace is his nature
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