Advent, Day 4- Hangry

Most of us have never truly been physically hungry.  Oh, our stomachs growl a bit and we get a hunger headache every now and then, but most of us have never gone without food for an extended period of time.

You may have experienced being HANGRY.  You see it in toddlers.  Their wee stomachs emit a youthful growl and BOOM!  They are irritable, disagreeable, whiny....oh wait, are we still talking about toddlers?

We have a running joke at our house about the phrase, "I'm hungry."  John Smith, the man I chose to marry above all other available men in the world, has perfected the phrase, "I'm hungry."  I told him years ago that his whiny hungry voice reminds me of Rolly, one of the wee Dalmation puppies in the movie "101 Dalmations."


Bless it.

I suppose if we let Rolly go a bit longer professing his hunger, he may show his wee puppy teeth and slide right into HANGRY.  I know most of you have seen the TWIZ commercial set within the Brady Bunch house.  That is a case of serious HANGRY.

Have you ever crossed paths with an angry person.  I don't mean someone who is angry from time to time, I mean someone who lives in anger.  Everyone is against them; nothing ever goes right for them; everything is a major ordeal and reason to lash out; they never have a sweet word to share about anything.

These type personalities are hangry, but not for physical food.  They may not realize it, but they are in search of spiritual food.  It is up to us, the God loving people of the world, to direct them toward the spiritual nourishment that can lead to the cessation of their angry hunger.  They must first see in us a peaceful countenance that dwells in joyfullness, even when life is not so joyful.

Maybe you are spiritually hangry, even though you are a God fearing person.  Perhaps your spiritual journey and some of the pilgrims you've traveled with have left feeling hungry, thirst and empty. 


Matthew 15:29-37 (NASB)
²⁹ Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. ³⁰ Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. ³¹ The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
³² Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.’³³ His disciples answered, ‘Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?’ ³⁴ ‘How many loaves do you have?’ Jesus asked.‘Seven,’ they replied, ‘and a few small fish.’
³⁵ He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. ³⁷ They all ate and were satisfied. Afterwards the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 

Jesus promises that those who come to Him will feel His compassion and receive enough nourishment to soothe their hangry souls.  Through Christ alone we shall be satisfied.  

Today, seek His nourishment as we await His coming.  

Jesus, come quickly.  

Kelley