Home Recipes Religion Christmas — the remedy for soul hunger

Christmas — the remedy for soul hunger

0

Psalm 107:9 “For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.”

There are many things one could say about the Christmas season. One of those is that it is a time for eating well! Over the past two weeks Dad and I have attended at least five parties – all of which included delicious food. Goodies and treats have also been streaming into our office as well-wishers stop by to spread holiday cheer. Everywhere you turn delicacies and high calorie treats are being shared so that by the end of this season most people will discover a noticeable increase in their waistline.

Last Thursday we held our office Christmas luncheon. This year we broke our usual tradition of meeting at a restaurant and instead stayed in at our Event Center. Aunt Julie created a festive atmosphere with candles and greenery, and Christian Brothers Meat Company catered the meal. The mounds of cheesy bacon mashed potatoes, country cooked green beans, thick slabs of pork and chicken basted in a savory sauce, and luscious fruit-filled slices of pie were more than enough fare to satisfy even the biggest of appetites.

Later that evening Dad and I attended another party. The friendship was sweet, but I must admit that I only tasted the dinner offerings. My appetite had been satisfied with good things from my lunchtime meal and there was no room left in my stomach. So goes the Christmas Season!

While Christmas may be the time for feasting on physical food, there is another hunger that often becomes more acute during this season of joy. Pangs from hunger of the soul grow in intensity as our hearts long for all that is good. Distant families, broken relationships, sickness, heartaches, loneliness, and disappointments gnaw on our hearts and beg to be satisfied with wholeness and peace. There is no pastry or confection that can cure this hunger.

Strangely the answer for these cravings is found in the true celebration of Christmas. God sent His only Son to the world to redeem His people from the adversary whose goal from the beginning was to famish our souls with emptiness caused by sin. When we turn to the baby in the manger, the very Son of God who came in the flesh, and allow Him to fill our empty souls with His presence we can finally receive all for which we have been hungering. While our present difficulties may not disappear, the unfilled longings for meaning and relationship will be met by Immanuel Himself – God with us.

As you fill your stomachs with delicious meals and sweet treats this Christmas keep in mind the remedy for soul hunger. Turn to the baby in the manger, the perfect Son of God, and you will never be hungry or thirsty again. For only He can satisfy the hungry soul with what is good.” — Love, Mama

http://www.xeniagazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2017/12/web1_sheridanS-1.jpg

By Sandra Sheridan

Sandra Sheridan is a Midwest wife and mother of five. She shares her letters to her children with our readers. Visit her at www.VersesFromMama.com.