Physical and Spiritual Nutrition

References:
- Psalm 42 NAS
- John 6:26-40 NAS

For some people, hunger is a daily issue. Because of poverty, famine, war, etc., they go without food much more than they are with. Every day is a struggle just to survive. Because of the lack of food, they are more often sick, which puts their lives in greater peril.

For most of my life, I have had plenty to eat. There have been times while at work or out in the field that I have had less than what I wanted. But, even then, I have not been in great need. Not like many people out there who are starving on a regular basis.

There have been a few times where I have chosen to limit my food during a time of fasting. Usually it is because there is something significant going on in my life or I need God's clear direction. It is only for a short period of time that I go without my normal food intake. And during that time, I usually drink a lot of milk, fruit juices and water. That way I still stay hydrated and get some nutrition. I also cut back on my physical activity in proportion of my limited food intake. It is all in a controlled manner so as to help me focus more on Bible study and prayer.

Has there been a time in your life where you went without for an extended period of time? Has there been a time where you have struggled with hunger, weariness, or excessive thirst? I seem to struggle more with just tiredness. Some nights it's because I'm stressed and can't sleep well. Other times I have to work very long hours and get very little sleep afterward. I do remember one time, though, when I was so hungry my body was shaking.

Back in 2011, I left the Nebraska Department of Corrections to pursue what I was hoping to be a ministry career. When it came time to move, my wife traveled ahead with our son to our new home to get thing set up there. Although I was expecting help, I was going to be working on my own for several hours. Well, because my help was delayed, I ended up working over 6 hours by myself. Having been to college and seminary, and having a family, we had quite a bit of furniture. Throughout the morning and into the afternoon, I packed at least half of a large truck full of things. I was so focused on getting things loaded that I didn't think about eating.

In the afternoon, my help finally arrived. I was so excited about this that, though I was starting to feel hungry, I continued to work. They helped me load quite a few large pieces of furniture and finish packing the truck. Because it was now starting to get late into the afternoon, we still had to travel over an hour to our new home, and unpack everything, I didn't think about eating. Instead, I closed up the truck, made sure the house was locked, and we took off. About 30ish minutes into the drive, I started feeling very sluggish. Not too long after that, I started feeling weary and my limbs started shaking. Not a good thing to happen while driving through a city in a 20+ foot moving van!

By God's grace, we got to our destination safely. By that time, I felt bone tired, my body was shaking like I was really cold, and I wasn't too coordinated. After opening the back of the van, I excused myself so that I could get something to eat and drink. The church members had brought pizza for everyone and I took the opportunity for a 'quick break.' It wasn't until after my third piece of pizza that I stopped shaking and started feeling better. It turns out that I had worked so hard and burned so many calories that my body was in desperate need of fuel and nutrition. I don't remember how long of a 'break' I took, but most of the stuff was moved in by the time I finished eating and drinking.

It's rare for me to be so tired and hungry that I shake like that. But, it has happened a few times. After I participated in the 82nd Airborne All American Week 10 mile run, I was exceedingly exhausted! I am sure that I was so tired and hungry that my body shook. A couple of times after completing a long ruck march, I would be so exhausted and hungry that I would be shaking and struggling to stay awake. These ruck marches were 12 miles long and we would start very early in the morning. And each of us would be carrying a 35 pound ruck and our assigned weapon.

Sleep deprivation and going without food and water for long periods of time can really hurt our bodies. It causes us to become moody and irritable, we more easily loose our mental focus, we become less coordinated, and we are more likely to make bad decisions. Going without water can cause death within hours. Going without adequate food and/or sleep can quickly affect us, but might not cause death for several days. But yet, if going without physical water and food affects us so much, how might going without spiritual nourishment affect us?

I believe all of us have a physical body that we can touch and see. I also believe that we all have a spirit within us that cannot be seen or measured, but is there nevertheless. And, if it is not healthy, it can affect us physically and emotionally. Without spending time in God's Word, time in prayer, and time worshiping God, alone and with fellow believers, we starve our spirit. When God created us, He created use to be dependent on physical nourishment and upon spiritual nourishment. We need adequate food, water and rest for our physical bodies to be healthy. We need adequate rest and mental stimulation to keep our minds sharp. We also need human interaction and to maintain a healthy level of stress to stay emotionally and mentally healthy. And likewise, God created us to be dependent on Him for our spiritual nourishment.

Without regular time reading God's Word, private and cooperate worship, and time in prayer, we become cutoff from God's spiritual nourishment. When we starve ourselves that way, we often become more stressed, we more easily get distracted by unimportant things, we are more prone to be disobedient to God, and we are more likely to feel dejected, alone, and even afraid.

I have been walking with God for over 21 years now. And I still struggle with keeping myself healthy spiritually. There are times where I am very consistent in my devotions and my prayer life, and there are times where I am not. There are times where I am very consistent in worship, especially with others. And, there are times where I do poorly with that. And whenever I poorly maintain my spiritual health, it starts affecting my emotional and spiritual health.

God created us to be dependent on physical food and water and the need to have adequate rest. We also were created to be in relationship with each other and with Him. Just as doing with out food, water, and sleep can greatly affect us physically, so can starving ourselves spiritually. Let us continue to maintain ourselves physically and spiritually, so that we can be healthy in body, mind, and in spirit.