Excerpt from Psalm 78:17-18

"They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, 'Can God spread a table in the wilderness?'"

Reflection by Lillian Daniel

Just because you crave it doesn't mean it's good for you. Sometimes the thing we crave is quite terrible for us.

Let's take the giant cinnamon buns they sell at airports, for example. At 880 calories, that delicious hot frosted bun is nothing I need in any nutritional scenario. But I often crave them, as well as the little 180-calorie cup of extra frosting.

I would never eat like this as a part of my regular life. But at airports, I find myself craving the worst things and often giving in.

I think for many of us, airports are the modern wilderness. They are places where we wander, at loose ends, far from friends and family. We're often exhausted and cranky in airports. And our spirits take a beating. We wish God would spread a table for us in the wilderness. We think that our salvation might lie in something sticky, greasy, sweet or all three.

But that's not what God's serving as today's special.

Communion with God is better than the quick fix, the momentary pleasure or buckling under your favorite knee-jerk craving. The next time your craving hits you in your wilderness, wherever that may be, choose a moment of prayer from the menu instead.

Prayer

Dear God, help me to distinguish between what my body needs and what my body wants. And when I do give into what I want (because God, you know sometimes I will!) just let it be worth it. Amen.

About the Author Lillian Daniel is the senior minister of the First Congregational Church, UCC, Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She is the author, with Martin Copenhaver, of This Odd and Wondrous Calling: the Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers.

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