Junk Food Junkie

I am on a diet...  This is the first time in my life that I have ever restricted what I eat for more than a few days.  It's hard to choose to eat healthy food instead of all the stuff that just tastes so much better.  I mean don't get me wrong I love salad.  No, really I do.  I love veggies, but I LOOOVVVEEEEE Queso.  I mean there is nothing in this world so good as dipping a chip into some melted cheese.  I LOVVVVEEEE everything about Mexican food.  I LOVVVEEE  pasta.  There is so much in this world that really is much tastier than the real, good, nutritious food that I am forcing myself to consume.   It's so hard to resist at times that I just go ahead and indulge.  One major lesson I have learned on this new lifestyle (as "they", you know the experts say),  is that I MUST eat the good healthy stuff before I  really get hungry.  My day needs to start with a good healthy breakfast, something that fills me up and satisfies my hunger...  if not I'm going to go into junk food mode. 

Junk food is my weakness...  chips, crackers, gold fish, the kids fruit snacks.  I'm not picky when it comes to the pure CRAP that I will consume, but junk food never seems to fill me up.  Why is it that we can eat all the junk in the world and NEVER get full?  Junk food has NO nutritional value.  Our bodies break down food and send a signal to our brains that we got what we needed and our brains send a signal that we are full and satisfied.  With junk food we don't get that signal, because we have consumed nothing of any value.  No protein, no vitamins, no minerals.   So, we consume more and even though it tastes good we are NEVER satisfied.  I see this with my children all the time.  They choose a snack that is junk food and come back in 20 minutes still hungry, because the junk didn't fill the need. 

When I start with good for me stuff in the morning I am satisfied and I can resist the temptation to eat CRAP.  When I start with a good, healthy breakfast I am more likely during the day to choose the good stuff all day.  When I begin my day with good, healthy food I feel better and I have more energy, so that motivates me to continue to make good choices.  Real food makes me stronger.  Real food helps my body perform.  I'm not tired and rundown. 

Now apply this to my spiritual life.   When I get up in the morning and start my day with the Bread of Life (Jesus) I walk away satisfied.  I'm full and satisfied.  He's the real deal our souls are hungry for.  We don't know it, but we walk around starving.  We fill ourselves up with all the junk and crap of the world and we wonder why we are never satisfied.  We know we are hungry and thirsty for something and we just consume junk all day long.  Junk that not only doesn't fill us up, but actually causes damage.  Feasting on the Word of God in the morning fills me up and I'm not tempted by the things of this world.  Reading my Bible and praying help me make good decisions for the rest of the day.  I feel stronger.  Instead of walking around all day starving I am filled with the Living Water and the Bread of Life. 

We are built to hunger for something.  Everyday we spend our days looking for something to fill us up and satisfy our souls.  Most of what we look to only makes us more hungry.   Even good things can never fill us up.  We are designed to only be filled up by the real thing and that is God.  When we are filled with him we hunger no more.  We can walk away satisfied and resist all the temptation that is in this world, but we have to start with Him.  Every morning we have to spend time with the ONE our soul longs for.

O, taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him.  Ps  34:8

O God, you are my God; early will I seek you: my soul thirsts for YOU, my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.  Ps 63:1

Who (GOD) satisfies thy mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.  Ps 103:5

For HE satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.  Ps 107:9

So, today start with God.  Spend some time with HIM.  Let him satisfy you and fill you with HIS goodness and you will hunger no more!!!