So I recently posted a picture on
facebook that I thought was kind of funny--and also sadly accurate. It was an image of a t-shirt that says,
"I'm sorry for what I said when I was hungry." I even related how a
student had once offered me a sandwich in class. This may be because he wanted to eat one
himself, but still . . .
Last year the kids I had right before
lunch introduced me to the term "hangry." I thought it was something they had made up
to describe me (oh, the vanity!) until I saw someone else using the word
on--you guessed it--facebook.
On another occasion recently, I
apologized for a delayed response to an email, citing my need to eat first
because "I'm not worth much when I'm hungry." Almost immediately I
was convicted--not of waiting to answer the email but of blaming my bad moods
and ineffectiveness on hunger. The truth is this: There is never a legitimate
excuse for being unkind.
The fruit of the Spirit still includes
kindness and self-control (Galatians 5:22) regardless of the state of my
stomach. In Second Timothy 3, those "without self-control" are listed
right alongside "slanderers" and "traitors." If it's true
that "I can do all things through Christ" (Philippians 4:13), which
here includes being hungry--truly hungry, not just wanting some lunch--and
suffering, then I cannot keep giving in to the weak flesh.
I know that we should take care of
ourselves. It's not wise to get into such a state of fatigue and hunger that we
can't be productive. Bea Ward, one of my favorite people, is sort of famous for
saying that sometimes the most spiritual thing one can do is take a nap. One of
my goals for the new year is to get more sleep. I do want to take care of myself (I'm eating a bowl of cereal right now!) But the Spirit who lives in me
is stronger than hunger, stronger than fatigue, and I need to stop making
excuses.
--Sherry Poff
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