FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT-Truly He Does Fill the Hungry

Today was the last day before pay day. As I was searching through the cupboards and fridge to find something to make for dinner, let me tell you . . . it was SLIM PICKIN's! On days like these, all I can say is . . . I'm so glad for my food storage. Being the garden-variety philosopher that I am, I started thinking deeply about this as I finally whipped up a quick batch of spaghetti.

First, I thought again of the comparison I am always drawing between nourishment of the body and nourishment of the spirit. As I've discussed with my blogger buddies so many times before, I truly believe that we MUST feed our spirits on a daily basis, for they, like our bodies will starve if not cared for. Not only must we feed our spirits, but we must be so careful WHAT we feed it. Just like our bodies tend to get "sick" when we are stuffing ourselves with junk and convenience foods, our spirits need wholesome nutrition. "Am I reading the scriptures daily?" becomes as fundamental as "Am I drinking water and eating fruits and vegetables?"

Jokingly, I often refer to too much worldy entertainment and exposure as "spiritual Twinkies." It's fine to watch a little Oprah here and there, or even every episode of a favorite show, but we, as latter-day saints cannot afford to invest ALL of our spare time in these pursuits. If we do, we are cheating ourselves out of essential gospel nutrients that will help us grow and become strong!

Like my trip to the food storage room today, I have had many trying times in my life, when I was so glad for the time and energy I had spent in the past, pouring over the scriptures, attending church meetings, bearing my testimony, and reading Church literature. When I simply needed something to feed my tired, hungry soul, I drew upon my reserves . . . my spiritual food storage, if you will.

As much as I would love to claim these principles as my own, I realize that they are not news to any of you. Amos, in the Bible, prophesied a great famine in the land: "not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord." (Amos 8:11)

The beautiful thing about the Gospel is that we are all invited to FEAST upon the word of God. What a beautiful invitation we have received: to partake freely of Christ's doctrine, to quench our thirst with His love and our hunger with His atoning sacrifice! We are invited to come as we are. Even those who are struggling with testimony. The invitation stands for the poor, disabled, homely, and depressed.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said:

"I pray . . . that all who are hungering and thirsting, and sometimes wandering, will hear this invitation from Him who is the Bread of Life, the Fountain of Living Water, the Good Shepherd of us all, the Son of God: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, … and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” 24 Truly He does fill “the hungry with good things,” as His own mother Mary testified. ("He Hath Filled the Hungry with Good Things," Ensign, November 1997, 64).

I encourage each of you to READ the above address. It is beautiful and its message is breathtaking. Here is the link:

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=610257b60090c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD#footnote2