What We Crave

It is both logical and widely realized that what we put into our bodies is what we will crave. My body knows that every morning, within a half hour of getting out of bed, I will give it coffee. Usually a dark roast and of course always drinking it black. If my morning schedule is a bit off and an hour or two after getting up I have not fed my body it's usual allowance of caffeine, I will inevitably feel a slight pain in my head and less energy than normal. I didn't start drinking coffee for the caffeine, I just love the taste, but along with the taste, I got what some people would consider a caffeine dependence. Of course, in my mind, since there were times in my life where I was consistently ingesting much more harmful substances, I deem caffeine a 'lesser evil' and don't feel too worried about needing my morning cup (okay, cups) of coffee.

The same goes for food. The more I eat foods high in sugar, the more I crave them. The more I eat fresh meals with lots of veggies, the more I will want to eat them. It's really kind of nice that our bodies do this, that is, if we can develop good habits. Unfortunately I seem to be better at developing bad habits than good ones, which I suppose is human nature coming out. And typically, one must see some severely negative consequences before realizing said habit has become a problem.

While this concept is quite elementary, I find myself just discovering how true it really is in all areas of my life. For instance, daily music is a little like my daily coffee. Music usually gets turned on about an hour after I get up, and is huge part of my day until I go to bed. I can't really imagine driving, jogging, or blogging in Panera without my musical companions of that time. The same goes for how much time I'm spending in the Word, or watching movies, reading, whatever, will very much determine how I desire to spend my time.

However, there are some things I'm just not sure I'll ever not have a desire for, no matter how long I go without them. In reality, I don't believe I will ever get to the point where I don't crave desserts. Seriously, even after I go for a month without the smallest morsel of cake touching my lips, I'm still going to want to eat a slice of amazing chocolate cake when I'm presented with the option. It's the same with people. I have a couple sisters that I rarely see. One very rarely, the other, maybe every few months, but I never stop wanting to see them. Just because I haven't seen Sara in 3 months, doesn't make we want to see her less. So I guess the moral of the story is there are some things, like dessert and sisters, that I'll always crave no matter how much or little I have of them.

So where am I going with this? Hmm...I'm not completely sure. Only that I am thinking about things I truly desire and things I only seem to crave when they're in my present life or easily accessible. But then there's the inevitable question of: yes, I might crave something (someone) regardless of how much I've had it (them), but whether or not that craving is beneficial for my life is up for debate. We have the Biblical guidance of certain things that God is clear about being good or bad for us, but let's face it that all things are not black and white. I guess all we can do is live a surrendered life, admit to God where we're at with what we crave, and trust He'll direct us to or from whatever is best.

For me, the key is honesty with God. Just being like, "hey God, here's what I'm totally wanting, here's what I desire, here's what I crave...do with that what You will". My experience is that Christ doesn't want to pour out judgment and condemnation on me for what I desire, He just wants me to be real with Him. Which takes us back to the first step in dealing with an addiction: admit you have one. And I've found God doesn't necessarily want to strip us of something we desire, He only wants to move the person or thing to a rightful place of underneath Him.

10 comments:

Kristen said...

Great post, Em. I can relate to the cravings for coffee, chocolate cake, and those things that I allow to come before God in my life. And, I've found that when I've allowed God to move my craving to it's rightful place, it's not so bad. :) The key is just allowing him to do with it what he will, like you said. Thanks for the reminder.

Daveana said...

Great post Em. I especially loved this last part.

'the key is honesty with God. Just being like, "hey God, here's what I'm totally wanting, here's what I desire, here's what I crave...do with that what You will"'

Love you girl!

Christen Leigh said...

I also loved this post. Very well put. :)

Betsy said...

Makes perfect sense. Naturally, coming from your Panera processing.

Molly said...

I'm craving Panera college days...
studying alone with my coffee that I keep refilling...and that was 10 years ago!

Insightful and thought-provoking.

Sara Huber said...

Good thoughts Em...pretty sure I'll never get enough dessert or sister time either. love ya!

Betsy said...

Smiling at your tweet. :)

leah said...

i'm craving the times i used to be sitting across from you at panera!! :)

love this post girl...so, so true. and i love you!

Christen Leigh said...

Yes, I really am this much of a nerd:

Q. Should garlic (fresh from the produce department) be refrigerated after it has been opened or in the cupboard? Thanks for your help.

A. If you mean the bulbs of a fresh head of garlic, they should be stored at room temperature. If you mean those jars of minced garlic, yes, they should be refrigerated after opening.

Ahhhh....the world wide web (said in a pink panther accent) :)

emilykate said...

Ha, you crack me up. Thanks Chris...I'm guessing I should probably pitch that jar..:)