Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied. (Matthew 5:6)
I’m a day late in blogging this week (again!) because we had guests
for dinner last night. A full day was
required for preparing the table and the food so that our guests would be
entertained and leave satisfied. We had
quite a spread, with lots of food, wine, and fellowship!
I’ve been blessed my whole life with the gift of sufficient
food and drink. We didn’t grow up
materially wealthy, and rarely went out to eat away from home growing up;
nevertheless, my mother was an excellent cook who knew how to stretch whatever
we had in the pantry or refrigerator in order to feed a houseful of growing
boys who loved to eat!
My brothers were big milk drinkers, too. When I was a kid, we still had milk delivered
to our house twice a week. When my Mom
decided to stop that service, she got a personal visit from the Regional
Manager for Borden’s, distressed that they were losing one of their biggest
residential customers!
No, I’ve been lucky.
I’ve never known what it is like to be really hungry or thirsty.
Sure, I’ve probably said things like, “I’m starving!” when my next
scheduled meal has been delayed for one reason or another. But truly knowing the desperation that comes
from real hunger or thirst? No, I’ve been more than blessed in that
regard.
In today’s Beatitude, Jesus speaks not of physical hunger or
thirst, but of the satisfaction promised when one has a desperate desire for
righteousness. When I think of “righteousness,”
I don’t equate that word with “piousness” or “sanctimony.” I think of “righteousness” as “right
alignment with what God intends for me.”
And in this Beatitude, Jesus promises that such a hunger, such a thirst will be satisfied.
What if I'm never spiritually hungry or thirsty? I wonder if I ever allow myself to be truly starving for righteousness. Any of us who
have had children and grandchildren know the frustration that comes when your
little one sneaks an unhealthy snack thirty minutes before dinner and then
proclaims, “I’m not hungry!” when they arrive at the table. Nothing kills the appetite like a
tummy-filling snack loaded with empty calories, and such foods leave us only
temporarily satisfied until we are “hungry” again. In fact, medical experts tell us that big
contributors to the obesity epidemic in our nation are the processed, sugary
foods and drinks that “trick” our bodies into feeling full. Before long, we find ourselves hungering for
the same junk foods—and our waistlines show it!
So, what does this verse say about my capacity for having my
spiritual cravings satisfied? Am I even
allowing myself to have an appetite for righteousness, or am I loading up on
spiritual junk food? Do I allow myself
to develop a hunger and thirst for “right alignment with what God intends for
me,” or am I filling my thoughts, my actions, my days and months and years with
empty spiritual calories?
It’s so easy
to crowd out any space for spiritual growth with busy-ness, worry, or worse. Once again, Jesus’ promise of spiritual
satisfaction carries an implicit call for each of us to examine what we are
doing to receive the blessing…and then the responsibility to make the change in
our diet!