Building Appetite
Have you ever lacked appetite? The feast before you is acclaimed as delicious, but all you can do is gaze at it with no appetite, and sometimes even looking at it or talking about it is too much...
After college, I began my busy life in public accounting, running from work, to event, to sleep, to work, to event, to sleep. Many days, I was so focused on getting work done so I could rush to the next item on my agenda that I would forget to eat lunch, and the less I ate, the smaller my appetite became. In the midst of all the stress, I completely lost my appetite and it became difficult to eat at all.
Over the course of a few months, I lost 15 pounds, putting me below 100 lbs. My strength was weak and my bones even felt as though they might break. Although I knew I needed to eat more, I just had no appetite and the thought of eating much sometimes even made me feel sick. I was not anorexic, but I struggled with the desire to eat. During that time, I sought out a nutritionist who instructed me to do the following in an effort to rebuild my appetite:
1. When looking at food, say "Mmmm. Good!"
2. Eat small snacks throughout the day
So every time I sat down to eat, I would say "Mmmmm. Good!" And throughout the day, I would eat my snacks. Before I knew it, my appetite was back and my body began to feel strong again.
Have you ever lacked appetite for the things of God? You hear about how GOOD God is, but you just aren't feeling it. In fact, sometimes even talking about it is just too much...
Life gets busy. We run from thing to thing to thing, and we forget to feed our soul, and the less we feed our soul, the smaller our appetite becomes. Before we know it, our Spirit man is frail and weak, and though, we may still go to Bible study and church, we struggle to really feel desire for the things of God... We gaze at the acclaimed feast before us as observers, because we have no appetite to partake.
This morning God spoke to my heart. He reminded me of my own story and said: Appetite is something that is built.
If your spirit man is weak. If you feel like you lack the strength to fight your enemies... (1) If you can't seem to find in yourself the desire to praise God. If you find your faith floundering. If you find yourself doubting His Truth.
Take advice from a nutritionist.
1. When looking at food, say "Mmmm. Good!"
Food doesn't look good when you have no appetite. But it IS good. It is providing you nutrition you need to live. So speak the truth to yourself.
/ Translation - Spending time with God may not look good, or be that convenient, and you may not FEEL it... but it IS GOOD. It is providing you with the spiritual nutrition that you need to live. MMMM. GOOD! Proclaim it! Praise/Thanksgiving makes way for the salvation of God (2). And Thanksgiving is how we enter his courts...(3) Speak truth to yourself.
2. Eat small snacks throughout the day
Eating a little bit at a time allows your stomach to adapt to food again and slowly, as you eat small amounts, your stomach begins to stretch to make room for more. Your body begins to burn the food its getting and sends signals to your body to eat.
/ Translation - Snack on God throughout the day. :) Talk with Him. Tell him what's on your mind. Take whatever baby steps you need too. Each baby step will draw you to more steps to much bigger steps, until your heart becomes more and more open to MORE...
Together, speaking praise, even when you don't feel it, and taking small steps are building appetite... And before you know it, you begin to find joy, hope, faith... and STRENGTH.
"All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast." Proverbs 15:15
Footnotes:
(1) I Peter 5:8 (2) Psalm 50:23 (3) Psalm 100:4
After college, I began my busy life in public accounting, running from work, to event, to sleep, to work, to event, to sleep. Many days, I was so focused on getting work done so I could rush to the next item on my agenda that I would forget to eat lunch, and the less I ate, the smaller my appetite became. In the midst of all the stress, I completely lost my appetite and it became difficult to eat at all.
Over the course of a few months, I lost 15 pounds, putting me below 100 lbs. My strength was weak and my bones even felt as though they might break. Although I knew I needed to eat more, I just had no appetite and the thought of eating much sometimes even made me feel sick. I was not anorexic, but I struggled with the desire to eat. During that time, I sought out a nutritionist who instructed me to do the following in an effort to rebuild my appetite:
1. When looking at food, say "Mmmm. Good!"
2. Eat small snacks throughout the day
So every time I sat down to eat, I would say "Mmmmm. Good!" And throughout the day, I would eat my snacks. Before I knew it, my appetite was back and my body began to feel strong again.
Have you ever lacked appetite for the things of God? You hear about how GOOD God is, but you just aren't feeling it. In fact, sometimes even talking about it is just too much...
Life gets busy. We run from thing to thing to thing, and we forget to feed our soul, and the less we feed our soul, the smaller our appetite becomes. Before we know it, our Spirit man is frail and weak, and though, we may still go to Bible study and church, we struggle to really feel desire for the things of God... We gaze at the acclaimed feast before us as observers, because we have no appetite to partake.
This morning God spoke to my heart. He reminded me of my own story and said: Appetite is something that is built.
If your spirit man is weak. If you feel like you lack the strength to fight your enemies... (1) If you can't seem to find in yourself the desire to praise God. If you find your faith floundering. If you find yourself doubting His Truth.
Take advice from a nutritionist.
1. When looking at food, say "Mmmm. Good!"
Food doesn't look good when you have no appetite. But it IS good. It is providing you nutrition you need to live. So speak the truth to yourself.
/ Translation - Spending time with God may not look good, or be that convenient, and you may not FEEL it... but it IS GOOD. It is providing you with the spiritual nutrition that you need to live. MMMM. GOOD! Proclaim it! Praise/Thanksgiving makes way for the salvation of God (2). And Thanksgiving is how we enter his courts...(3) Speak truth to yourself.
2. Eat small snacks throughout the day
Eating a little bit at a time allows your stomach to adapt to food again and slowly, as you eat small amounts, your stomach begins to stretch to make room for more. Your body begins to burn the food its getting and sends signals to your body to eat.
/ Translation - Snack on God throughout the day. :) Talk with Him. Tell him what's on your mind. Take whatever baby steps you need too. Each baby step will draw you to more steps to much bigger steps, until your heart becomes more and more open to MORE...
Together, speaking praise, even when you don't feel it, and taking small steps are building appetite... And before you know it, you begin to find joy, hope, faith... and STRENGTH.
"All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast." Proverbs 15:15
Footnotes:
(1) I Peter 5:8 (2) Psalm 50:23 (3) Psalm 100:4
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