“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6
One of the most difficult aspects of moving to a South Beach lifestyle has been changing the way I think about food: carbs and fats in particular. I know the Bible says “man shall not live by bread alone” but I’ve always said (albeit a bit tongue-in-cheek), “yeah, but woman can…especially THIS woman.” Those first two weeks, when we removed ALL carbs – including the so-called “good” ones – from our diet, to detoxify and break the insulin-dependency cycle, were probably the most difficult two weeks I’ve ever experienced. The amount of self-control and self-discipline it took each day to make the conscious choice not to break the diet, not to give in to those cravings was surprisingly staggering. And so was the hunger.
Sure, I was eating all the time. I was enjoying 3 squares PLUS 2 healthy snacks and a late “dessert” each day. For those in-between times, I crunched sugar free lifesavers, downed sugar-free fudgesicles, or slurped sugar-free jello cups (not all at once, mind you). But still, there was a little corner of my tummy that never quite felt full. And it let me know by gnawing and rumbling and grumbling several times a day. That little piece of me was never truly satisfied.
The hunger I experienced pales in comparison with what I witnessed in Africa. The effects of starvation and malnutrition on little bodies are difficult to take in, even in person. Seeing children with distended bellies, ribs and backbones outlined against their taut skin is never something you grow accustomed to. And to see what meager amounts of food they have learned to be “satisfied” with is humbling…and shaming.
And yet, in a greater cosmic sense, even that constant, painful hunger pales in comparison to what God desires for us as His followers. When Jesus spoke those words, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled, I’m sure there were those listening who understood the depths of hunger. Who knew the raw pain of rationing food. Who had faced starvation. Jesus Himself, after enduring 40 days of fasting in the wilderness, knew what it meant to be hungry and thirsty. And being fully God, He also knew what it meant to be satisfied.
This type of hunger and thirsting is more than just a casual snacking. It’s more than just standing over a heavenly buffet table of scripture and grazing on those verses or passages we enjoy, those that make us feel good or that make us happy. This type of hunger and thirsting is borne out of desperation, out of a poverty of soul and spirit, out of the desire for mere survival. It is raw and unfettered, grasping and reaching for whatever it can get to quell the constant dissatisfaction inside. It is a consuming pursuit, a full-out effort to satiate the emptiness within. It is a daily struggle, a constant fight. But the end result is sweet: satisfaction. Not a smug, told-you-so attitude. But a filling in the empty places. A sense of enough, quieting the groaning and settling the rumbling. That’s not just a dream. That’s our hope. Better yet, that’s our PROMISE. We can count on it.
So forget the carbs. Today, I’m hungering and thirsting for righteousness. And you can bet I’m counting on being satisfied.