Filling up on Junk

I recently noticed that I was starting to develop some bad habits when it came to Kate snacking.  She had learned how to ask for food in a way that I understood - banging on her high chair and saying please - and so I obliged assuming she was hungry.  I quickly wised up to the fact that while maybe she was a little hungry she really just wanted something to eat and could easily be distracted and made to wait until the next meal.  This was important because I noticed that if she snacked, then she'd eat a small meal, and then she'd need another snack and then eat another small meal.  A vicious cycle.  Yes, some would advocate for this smaller portion size, more frequent meal routine, but in this case the snacks weren't always the healthiest options for Kate and were probably better left out of the routine.  When we don't have snacks during the day, Kate eats more of the vegetables and healthier variety of foods that are given at meal time than she otherwise would.

God used this mothering experience to teach me about my own snacking habits...and I'm not talking about food.  Suppose building a relationship with God is "meals" and other things in life that tend to eat up our time, attention, thoughts, etc. are "snacks."  Those things can be anything from work, to television and media, to hobbies, to books, and so on.  Not necessarily bad things, but things that lack substance and the life giving nutrition that we can only get from God; things that can get in the way of our relationship with God if we eat too much of it.  When we fill up our lives with snacks, then we have less room for meals.  

Our lives can get filled up in a couple of different ways.  Time - the obvious answer.  Thoughts - the snacks in our life can consume our thought life and make it more difficult to focus on God and to be aware of the work that He is doing around us.  Finally, we can get a false sense of being full.  If we seek our happiness, comfort, peace, security, etc from snacks and it temporarily satisfies then we are never forced to go to God - the true source of peace, joy, love, acceptance, and salvation.

As I mentioned, snacks tend to be less healthy, at least in my house anyway.  But they can taste better than the veggies served for dinner.  It takes a lot of self-control, sacrifice, and discipline to say no to the snack and yes to the green beans.  Those things that get in the way of our relationship with God are often attractive, fun, enjoyable, relaxing and it takes some serious discipline to forego those activities.  As any successful dieter can tell you, the sacrificial discipline is what brings results.

Stop filling up on junk and enjoy a healthy meal with your Father today.