“To crave and to have are as like as a thing and its shadow. For when does a berry break upon the tongue as sweetly as when one longs to taste it, and when is the taste refracted into so many hues and savors of ripeness and earth, and when do our senses know any thing so utterly as when we lack it? And here again is a foreshadowing — the world will be made whole.” ~ Marilynne Robinson
Craving. That very term is at the heart of many an advertising campaign. Those creative geniuses employ every technique possible to “make” us want their product. Some even use the word “crave” in their advertising slogans. The most recognizable, probably, are the “crave packs” of White Castle. They make you feel that you not only need a White Castle hamburger or two; but, that you need an entire sack of them. If you do not get them, the implication is that you will not be satisfied.
Unfortunately, sin often draws us in by initiating cravings within our very being. The craving could be for sensual pleasure, power, prestige, or any number of worldly promises. The message our cravings give to us is that we can never get enough. We want and need more in order to be satisfied. Oftentimes, we allow those cravings to lead us down a path that should not be traveled.
There is something else within us that craves: our soul. It craves the love and companionship of the Lord. It directs us to seek God in our daily encounters. It tells us that we can never get enough of God here on earth and that we will only have our fill when we see Him face to face.
Because our mortal nature desires immediate gratification, though, the cravings of the soul are often displaced by the cravings of the body which can be more immediately satisfied. If fame, fortune, honor, prestige, sensuality, and excess are attempting to quench our bodily cravings, our souls often do not stand a chance.
That is why we are given the beautiful season of Lent. It affords us the opportunity to check ourselves, to identify which cravings are healthy and which cravings will lead to our downfall. Let the season speak to you this day. Do all that you can to determine whether or not your cravings are healthy. Allow your soul to have first pick in your life so that it may direct you to a closer relationship with God.
FAITH ACTION: Avoid cravings that are not of the Lord and do all that you can to satisfy your soul’s craving for the Lord by prayer and good works.