Small Hinges Move Big Doors

IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE a mom or work around kids, you’ve

heard this over and over: “I’m hungry.” I can remember

my four-year-old whining, “Mommy, I’m hungie!” The

whining got louder and more desperate as the seconds

ticked and I didn’t respond. The whining didn’t stop until

she got what she wanted. I stopped what I was doing to

get her a breakfast bar.

With kids, sometimes it goes on all day long. They

hit a growth spurt and the “I’m hungry” comes out all

day long. It’s out of control. They go from unreasonable

little monsters to kids skipping away, full of joy, and with

a bowl of cut grapes. Is there anything more frustrating

than a teen standing in front of the fridge, door wide open,

yelling that there isn’t anything to eat even though you

just went to the store?

Hungry for God’s Word

Just like a toddler begs for a snack, our souls need to be

fed. They scream out for God’s Word. Sometimes we are

that teenager who is surrounded by wonderful things to

eat. We just don’t see the goodness in front of us. What

we see isn’t what we are craving. We just want the junk

of the world.

Our soul is persistent. If we don’t fill it with God,

we will fill it with other things that are bad for us. Our

soul wants to go through growth spurts, and it longs for

holiness. We are all starving for Christ. We need more of

Him and the hope that only He can bring. The pains of

life are hunger pains, people, so let’s feed ourselves.

Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and

then feeding you with manna, a food previously

unknown to both you and your ancestors. He did it to

help you realize that food isn’t everything, and that

real life comes by obeying every command of God.

(Deuteronomy 8:3 TLB)

Manna was an edible substance that God provided for

the Israelites while they wandered the desert for forty years.

Manna was tricky because it was fresh in the morning but

spoiled by nighttime, so they couldn’t try to store it up.

They had to trust God to take care of their needs every

day. And He did. We need to obey and trust daily.

How are we supposed to know every command of

God if we are not studying them? How are we supposed

to eat if we don’t put food in front of our faces? We have

to put God’s Word in front of our faces. We need to be

eating up every word.

But Jesus told him, “No! For the Scriptures tell us that

bread won’t feed men’s souls: obedience to every

word of God is what we need.” (Matthew 4:4 (TLB)

We must take the time to be obedient and not fall for our

temptations. We can give up things like cussing or being easily

angered. We become more Christlike and find more joy. We

work on serving others and being a light to people around us.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and

assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that

something we want will happen. It is the certainty that

what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot

see it ahead. Have faith that God will feed and provide you

with everything you will need to not starve in this world.

If you want to grow closer to God and do His will, it is

going to happen—not if but will.

There are three things that remain—faith, hope,

and love—and the greatest of these is love. (1

Corinthians 13:13)

God loves you. Just like I provide snacks when my

daughter says, “I’m hungry,” Christ will provide the love,

faith, and hope you need. Stop starving and start feeding

yourself. Read the Bible.