Feeding or sampling

I spent much of yesterday at a shopping mall, 1 U, the only mall I'm quite familiar with and so don't end up wandering in circles. Went there early to get some groceries before meeting up with a friend for lunch. After doing the groceries, I still had some time left. Started to feel very hungry (due to the 'bad' habit of having very light breakfasts!) but did not want to eat a proper snack so near to lunchtime. As I walked around the tempting ready- to- eat food section, I spotted 'samples'. Usually, I don't try the samples unless I'm actually considering buying the product. But this time, due to hunger, I did 'sample' a small piece of kueh bahulu and a small chunk of buttery Japanese bread. They were good, the first not too dry or sweet and the second really tasty but rather too buttery for my taste. I reckoned these 'samples' would satisfy the hunger, and they did, at least for the remaining time before lunch. (Though I did not end up buying either one!)

Very often in our spiritual lives, we live on 'samples'. We may attend this talk on prayer, or that seminar on discipleship or even attend a theological teaching module....But what are we looking for? Are we aware of the hunger within....but don't know what will satisfy it? Perhaps we then try spiritually 'sampling' various products on the religious market. But perhaps it would be helpful to take a step back: what is it I really need and desire in my journey with God? How does God wish to nourish me? These samples are good in themselves, but they are not going to nourish us sufficiently for the long haul. And sometimes, such 'sampling' helps to distract us from the more tedious task of practicing a spiritual discipline consistently. Spiritual disciplines are means of grace -they do not feed us in themselves, but they bring us to places and postures of heart where we are open to God's feeding. Just like sitting down for a good breakfast will stop me 'sampling' food at the supermarket!

We are easily distracted when there is a gnawing hunger in our lives. Any new product whether Japanese bread or kueh bahulu or a 'religious' offering then catches our attention. In the spiritual life, what we need is Jesus, the bread of life. The sustaining nourishment of 'Christ in us' (Col. 1: 27). And yes, I will remember to have a good breakfast before going out to the mall.