A Safe Hunger
A few years ago, I chaperoned my youngest child on a field trip to the Aquarium. Before we left for our adventure, his teacher gathered the class on a rug at the front of the classroom. She proceeded to instruct the class on important details for the day. One particular detail about lunch left me pondering. She said, “Children, we will eat lunch at 11:30 today. You’ve already had a snack, but I know some of you will be hungry. Just know that it is a safe hunger. You are not in danger.”
Her statement caught me off guard, inviting me into deeper contemplation.
“Just know that it is a safe hunger. You are not in danger.”
I kept repeating the phrase over and over in my mind as I thought about the spiritual implications of a safe hunger. Hunger is defined as a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by a lack of food. It is a natural feeling created by God to signal our bodies and souls that we are in need of nourishment. God designed our spiritual hunger to be fulfilled by Him and Him only. In John 6:35, Jesus reveals Himself as the bread of life and promises that whoever comes to Him will not hunger and whoever believes in Him will never thirst again.
“Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
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John 6:35 NLT
Many of us experience a safe hunger in our souls, but fail to recognize that we are not in danger when we bring our hunger to Christ to be satisfied. Instead, we seek to fulfill our hunger in illegitimate ways. Hunger for intimacy and touch leads us to sexual sin and harmful relationships that result in more emptiness and discomfort. Hunger for power and money creates an obsession for more and causes us to hustle our way into heart attacks and high blood pressure. Hours of our days are lost to social media and TV when we become slaves to our hunger for connection.
If only we could pause for a moment when the pains of hunger strike and remind our souls that our hunger is safe. Safe to be tended to by our loving Savior and brought to Him with no shame. Even when we forget, Jesus approaches us just as He did the woman at the well in John 4. She approached the well looking to fulfill her need for water, but Jesus met her deepest longing and hunger. Her encounter with Him left her never thirsting again.
Today, I encourage you to bring God your safe hunger. Take a moment to breathe and remember you are not in danger. Pull up your chair to His table and feast. He will fulfill your deepest need. You are safe.
Spend time in prayer, coming to God with your deepest longing. Listen to Hunger by CeCe Winans during your time of worship.
In His Love,
Danielle Kelly