There are many kinds of hunger: Therre is the it's-4-in-the-afternoon-so-I-must-have-chocolate kind: the I-can't-sleep-so-I'll-eat-now kind; the I'm-not-hungry-but-I-can't-say-no-to-potatoes-chips kind:
the purely physical kind that comes from working in the garden all morning, lifting boxes for shipment, or running around a playground chasing a 6-year-old kind: or the worst kind.....the bored, lonesome, miserable hunger that tugs at your head and heart that food will never be able to fill kind.

The point is this: Our stomachs, brains, and emotions tell us what to eat, and because they don't always deliver the same message, we spend an inordiante amount of time and energy trying to decipher their codes.

It's how we feed those hungers that makes all the difference, physically, emotionally and spiritually. When our hearts are restless, we often chase an impulse without giving it much thought. We turn to activities, hoping that busyness will drive away our dissatisfaction. Possessions are tempting, though temporary, salve for the restless heart. Sometimes we need a change of scenery, or we reinvent ourselves, hoping our new look will put our restlessness to rest.

Nicole Johnson had this to say about Longings. "Longing. Coming face to face with the fact that there are empty places in our lives that haven't been filled. Yearnings. Wanting more that we have: more love, more enjoyment, more passion, more hope, more rest. Cravings. The hope of finding something that will satisfy the rumbling we feel in the stomach of our soul."

So what's eating you? Our physical hunger can often be only a symptom of heart hunger. What are you feeding you head, what are you feeding your heart?

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