What feeds your soul?

 

 

I find it amazing how much the weather affects my preferences of which foods to eat.  Each season tempts with favorites: winter desires comfort with baked goods and casseroles; spring calls for fresh salads and berries; summer pleads to crank up the grill and pick the new garden produce; then fall begs to break out the crock pot with soups abounding.  Trying to eat a salad in the middle of winter just doesn’t taste as good, while hot soup in the swelter of summer does not appease.  At times, these seasonal favorites satisfy like nothing else.  Our souls have a similar need to be nourished and satisfied.  Just like the seasons advocate for certain cuisine, our soul experiences similar seasons of craving to be nourished in specific ways.

 

At times, our soul longs to connect with its Creator.  We were designed to be in communication with our God.  When He placed Adam in the garden, He spoke with him and explained things to him.  After a time for forming and naming creatures together, God made Eve as a suitable helper for Adam.  God was very aware of Adam’s needs.  Then, one day, God came walking in the garden looking for them.  He called to them as He longed to connect with them.  We see in other Bible stories where God calls to and meets with His creation.  He gives instructions to build a place where He can reside with them.  Throughout His story, He desires to be with His chosen people.  Our souls were fashioned to connect to Him.  Prayer reestablishes the connection.  Prayer opens up the channel of communications to satisfy the original need we have to bridge the distance between God and us.  Prayer is simply a two-way conversation: we share and then He shares, or vice versa.  Craving to meet with God is so natural and when we choose to engage, we are nourished as nothing else can.

 

At other times, our soul yearns to be fed with the Word of God.  The Creator of everything took the time to have His story written down.  This gives us the opportunity to learn about who He is, what He does, who He says we are and what is possible together.  Mankind longs to know their purpose and significance while they spin around the sun.  By exploring the written Word, He provides answers to these questions.  He supplies what is needed for each and every season we encounter.  The Word sustains us whether we are depleted, sad, lonely, longing, hopeless, frustrated or needy.  Story after story speaks to our story.  From the overlooked to the overwhelmed, onto the overcomer, His Word meets us right where we are.  No other thing on this earth replenishes a yearning soul like the Word.  His provision is here for our partaking—engage and see Him feed you.

 

Another hunger our souls have is rooted in fellowship.  Like our need for connectedness to God, we also ache for intimacy with others.  God knew this from the beginning.  We see Him initially respond by creating a suitable helper for Adam.  He states, “It is not good for the man to be alone (Genesis 2:18 NIV).”  When making us in His likeness, God knew He was including traits like His own.  God desires fellowship with us.  Fellowship is another way to connect with Him and people.  The world is full of others looking for someone like you to join them on this journey.  Togetherness provides pleasure and refreshment to our souls.  This is desperately needed.

 

There will be times when one of these cravings is met more easily than another.  Engaging in meeting our soul’s need just seems to come so naturally.  Then, seasons when the hunger of your soul is so strong, you wonder if it can ever be satisfied.  He made us with legitimate needs He knew would have to be met.  We become full and content, as we never knew possible, when we explore the opportunities God has given us to engage in soul-nurturing indulgence.  These are only a few examples of ways to feed our soul.  I hope they help you to start seeking out the potential nourishments to meet the hunger pangs your soul has.  He is waiting to meet you there and supply all your needs.