"Filled"

Sunday, June 21. I had wheeled my wheelchair into the dining room of the rehab center. Lunchtime. They set a plate of hot food down right in front of me. I think it was ham that day? Just then, my friend, Becky, comes in. She stopped to see me after church. Nice! We got to talking. After a while, she looks at my plate. "Go ahead and eat." And I said, "Becky! Sitting here, talking with you, feeds me in a way this stuff can't." Which is true. Friendship feeds my heart. It's also true---faith feeds my soul. When I get lonely, it helps me to remember, God is here. It's also true, I had to learn these things, the hard way. It took me a long time to admit Oreos can't feed my heart. Oreos can numb my heart. For a while. But Oreos can't feed my heart, the way a good friend like Becky can. It took me a long time to admit; ice cream can't satisfy my loneliness. Ice cream can numb my loneliness. For a while. But ice cream can't satisfy my loneliness, in the way that just sitting in the Silence can. But I had to learn these things the hard way. Much wasted time and money, Dave, looking for love, in all the wrong places. What's in the kitchen can feed my belly. But not my heart. What's in the kitchen can feed my belly. But not my soul. In our Gospel reading for Sunday, Jesus takes the not-enough-food His followers provide and makes it more than enough. More than enough to feed the big crowd. It says that the people were "Filled" by what Jesus provided. I get it. Eating is a hard habit to break! We all gotta eat. Me, for today, I'll be hoping I work to get my heart "Filled" by friendship. I'll be hoping I work to get my soul "Filled" by faith. Not by Oreos!