Daily Bread

I’ve been meaning to start posting again for several weeks, but I’ve been busy, lazy and uninspired. However, something has come up that I absolutely have to write about. This may be one of my longer posts, but I would love for you to keep reading and share when you finish. To begin this post, though, I am going to start with an idea that I intended to write about a few weeks ago as I transition into what I need to talk about.

Several weeks ago, I was out for a walk and in the middle of this walk, it started raining. At first, it was just a sprinkle so I kept walking, but then it turned into a mist and finally, it started pouring. By this point, there was nowhere for me to take cover, so I just kept walking, trying to make it back to the dorm. I had to take my glasses of because I couldn’t see through them. By the time I got back to my dorm, it looked like I had just dove into the pond for a casual late-night swim. I changed into a dry shirt and some basketball shorts and just hung out for a while.

Later that night, after it had quit raining—which was sometime after midnight—I had a craving for Whataburger. This was a very strong craving, so I couldn’t just not go. I had to go. Right then. My shoes were soaked, so I decided to go barefoot since I would only be going through the drive-thru. I have to confess: I wasn’t even hungry. The obvious choice when you’re craving Whataburger in the middle of the night and not hungry is a triple cheeseburger. That’s exactly what I got.

I began thinking about how this was a good analogy for what our spiritual lives should be like. Wouldn’t it be awesome if our craving for God was so strong that we would get up and go to him even in the middle of the night, even when it’s wet outside, to get more than we actually think we need? I’m not going to go into too much detail on this now, but I’ve since been put into a position in which I need to put this into action.

Several nights ago, I was talking to my mom about an invitation to Japan for next summer. She didn’t think I would even consider going because I can be a picky eater and she didn’t know if there’d be anything that I would eat. I responded by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, which says “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” I had no idea that God had something in store for me that would humble me and cause me to hunger, much like the Israelites in the wilderness.

The day after having this conversation with my mom, I had a doctor’s appointment. He had the results from the blood test I had a few weeks ago. My A1C came back high enough to classify me as “pre-diabetic.” This means that my blood sugar is higher than that of a normal person, although still not high enough for me to be considered diabetic, but I have a high risk of becoming diabetic. This is pretty serious, but it is possible to reverse the condition with a radical diet. One of the many things that I can’t eat is…bread.

It’s very frustrating trying to find things that I can eat (and that I’m willing to eat because, as I already said, I’m picky). I know that I will have to force myself to eat some things that I may not like and that I may get used to them and acquire a taste for them, but it’s very difficult. No more cheeseburgers, no more French fries, no more mac & cheese. There’s not a whole lot that I can eat. I definitely can’t eat what I was eating before. It’s not fun at all. The temptation to eat something that I shouldn’t is a huge challenge. Last night, I even had a dream about going to Whataburger. Luckily, that verse I quoted earlier is more commonly known from Matthew 4:4, when Jesus quoted it to resist Satan, who had tempted him to turn stones into bread.

I’ve been told, and I realize, that there are lots of lessons to learn from this situation. I may be more open to them in the future, but for now I’m just taking it one step at a time. The first step is to learn to change my diet, resist the temptation to eat things I shouldn’t and rely on God to provide my “daily bread”—although in the form of meat and vegetables and other low-carb foods—so that I can serve him. This will help me to replace my Whataburger cravings with cravings for God, who is the healthier options both physically and spiritually.

“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.” Luke 6:21