Health and Hunger

During Advent, I receive several spiritual meditations, and readings in my inbox. It's a way for me to be connected to the larger body of Christ in my daily life. This is a reading by Jackie Cameron, staff member at Credo, an Episcopal Church resource for clergy. I just found it to be especially helpful as I contemplate the very question in my journey here on this side of the planet.

"Pay attention!"  It's a major Advent theme, but it's also the key to the spiritual life, as well as to healthy relationships, wise financial stewardship, vocational discernment and, yes, even physical well-being. 

The control of appetite--that is, our sense of hunger and of fullness or satisfaction after eating--is an extremely complex system involving hormones, brain and nerve chemicals called neurotransmitters, the presence or absence of food in our stomach and intestines, emotions, visual cues, smells, memories, the people around us and many other things.  Even our fat cells have something to say in the complex internal conversation that leads to hunger.

This season, instead of berating yourself for not having more willpower ... or for failing to lose that 10 or 20 or 50-plus pounds or whatever else you haven't done, stop for a moment ... suspend the internal critic and instead ask, "What is it that I am really hungry for?"  And pay attention to the answers-because there will be many. 

One answer may well be, "I am hungry for the biggest piece of cheesecake on that platter."  But other answers may include, "I am hungry for companionship" or "I am hungry for reassurance that God is really there" or "I am hungry to know that I have something to offer" or even "I am just hungry for some fun ... or a chance to really laugh." 

So go ahead ... ask the question ... live with the question ... and pay attention to the answers.  Doing so will help set us all on a path to true fullness of life.