Fully Satisfied – Jackie Calhoun

Barbara and I had just stuffed ourselves with one of those IHOP specials before we took our trip to visit Betty and Dewayne up near Paron, Arkansas. Food was not on our agenda for the day. We were just going for a nice relaxed visit. But, Betty knows how to cook! She has had many years of experience. Once we got around the smell and offering of that good country home cooking, we both discovered that we were more hungry than we initially thought. A little sampling of those fine, seasoned-just-right green beans confirmed the notion, and just the sight of that big pan of made-from-scratch banana pudding, closed the deal – we were eating. We ate, we enjoyed it, and it was very good and fully satisfying. There’s nothing like eating fresh, home-cooked, made-from-scratch cooking. It’s good for the body and soul. When you think you’ve been eating good stuff, and you get a hold of the real deal, then you learn what good eating is all about!

Often our spiritual journey is like this. We are spiritually eating and drinking, and we seem to be getting by just fine. Then we get exposed to some really savory things, some spiritual things that at first we think we are not hungry for. But as we personally get a sampling of the real thing, we find out that it tastes really good, and we want more. When we dive in and just go ahead and partake of the whole spiritual meal, we find out just how good and satisfying it really is, and we never want to go back to that pre-packaged, commercially cranked out fare. We then have our appetite set for the meal with the personal touch, straight from the hand of the Master Chef. Jesus said he was the bread of life, and he who comes to him will never hunger, and he who believes on him will never thirst (John 6:35). He referred to the Holy Spirit as the living water that those who believe on Jesus can receive to quench the deep thirsting of the inner man (John 7:37-39). The bread of life and the living water – this is the meal prepared by the Master Chef to satisfy every soul, eating the Word, and drinking of the Spirit, with the banana pudding to boot. Fully satisfied!