Sort of random, I guess.
And not just food appetite, but all of our appetites. And human beings have appetites.
The problem is when we become a slave to our appetites. Too much food, tv, internet, emotion, material possessions.
So then I've been thinking about appetite in relation to the commandments of God.
Ultimately commandments help us to take care of ourselves in such a way that two things are possible: we are unencumbered as much as possible in being able to choose goodness and joy, and that we do not put upon others the unhappy consequences of our own actions. In fact the Savior's admonition to be wise a serpents and harmless as doves comes to mind here.
There will always be those who decry this morality as inhibiting to true freedom. Sure. Freedom to wake up hung over after doing something stupid the night before. Freedom to feel gross and be unhealthy because one has consistently chosen a fast food diet. Freedom to impinge upon another life you are responsible for creating, even though that was the last thing on your mind at the time. Freedom to send the entire world market into prolonged panic and disaster because you wanted more than was reasonable and prudent at the time.
We all have our own appetites we struggle with. But the point is to keep trying to overcome, because eventually we can.
Beware the person so consumed by their appetites they can do little else but eventually succumb to their own desires. They may be really nice people, but ultimately they live for their desires and nothing else. They can't help it.
well said, thank you for the reminder
ReplyDeleteI was musing on your appetite blog as I drove off this morning. I was wondering why we tend to have destructive appetites, and, aside from culture and nurture factors, I decided it is a certain dissatisfaction with ourselves, a certain boredom. We don't trust that we are children of God, that we are intrinsically and completely valuable. So we fret and do stupid things to avoid being or facing ourselves because we do not recognize our worth.
ReplyDeleteBy the way congrats on the Michelle Scribbit interview--very nice. Also, I read your Vignette about Grandmother. I had not read it before. It was very touching.
We keep trying to overcome, to stop being slaves to instant gratification and become someone more. I struggle with this to some degree each day. Mind/spirit vs. body. What a tug of war.
ReplyDeleteLike your thoughts here...
Very well said. This is something I struggle with daily, so I'm always thankful for these insights and encouragement to keep trying to rein in those appetites.
ReplyDeleteVery insightful. Still trying to figure out how to curb those unwanted appetites.
ReplyDeleteI would add to Sybil's comment that appetites come with the acquisition of a body and are born of the natural man. Mastering them or at least managing them so they don't rule the roost boosts our sense of self-worth. They then can serve us and we are able to enjoy the gifts of mortality that God has given us. Boundaries give us a productive freedom. Giving into them seems pleasurable at the time but after the fact we feel miserable about our excesses and lack of self-control. With boundaries gone ironically we loose freedom. Good post.
ReplyDeleteDoes God has an appetite on us??
ReplyDeleteWe're just sinners, we broke His heart many times, sometimes we rejected His words, but still He has that great appetite to love us back. What an owesome God we have.
I feel blessed thru your writing. Thank you Mamma...