June 8: Of Hunger

1 Kings 3:4-4:34

Acts 6:1-15

Psalm 126:1-6

Proverbs 16:26-27

"The appetite of laborers works for them; their hunger drives them on."

What do you hunger for?  I don't mean food.  I mean, what do you ache for, with all your life, with all your heart?  Why do you get up in the morning, by what do you evaluate your day when you go to bed?  I think whatever that is, that is what is going to drive and direct your efforts throughout the day, each day, every day.

In today's reading from Acts, what drove the 12 disciples was "the ministry of the word".  Their hunger to do that was so strong, they would not be distracted, even by a legitimate problem within the body.  And while it might have made sense to some that they drop everything to wait on tables, that was not what they hungered to do.  Instead, they ached to spread the Gospel.  

If you're anything like me, the big problem, the big challenge, is developing a hunger for something truly worthwhile.   If I am going to be honest, in my teens I got out off bed to have a good time; in my twenties I went to bed evaluating my day based on the progress of my career.  And in my thirties, I acted as though I was aching for my family's welfare - roof, food, clothing - but truthfully it was money I sought.  In the merciless light of 20/20 hindsight, it was easy to see my choices, however innocuous, even seemingly worthwhile, were empty.  See, even the money I sought to provide for my family I know today wasn't going to be any assurance of a good life.  

What then to choose?  How then to choose?  We get a bonus in today's reading - the best choice one can make when looking to determine the course one's life should take: wisdom.  I don't know what inspired Solomon to ask for it, but I pray that, instead of pretending I have the answers, I follow his example.  That way, the hunger that drives me will be worth it.  

Father, give me the humility to know I do not have the answers, and the insight to ask for the wisdom I need, so that, like the disciples, I am able to discern the appetites You want me to have, the things for which You want me to hunger.