Proverbs 27:7 When you are full, not even honey tastes good, but when you are hungry, even something bitter tastes sweet.
I've been using this big cup during my prayer time in the morning as a reminder to ask God to fill me each and every day. I love that the cup is so big, because I know my need is so big, and can only be filled by a big God.
I was reading Proverbs 27 today when God stopped me at verse 7. I reread it a couple times, unable to move past it because the message was so strong.
- When you are full, not even honey tastes good.
When we are filled by God and fully satisfied by Him, we don't need anything else.
You know how it is when you go grocery shopping--the big difference between what ends up in your cart if you're full at the time or if you're hungry?
I think about how God is relational and how He has made us relational. He blesses us with spouses, and family, and friends. We all love to receive sweet and kind words from others, and there's nothing wrong with that. God, through Scripture, encourages us to lift one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
But, what would it feel like to receive compliments and kind words (honey) when we're already full of all the love and admiration we could ever need? I don't think the compliment would not be loathsome as the NIV translation says, "One who is full loathes honey from the comb." But, it also wouldn't leave us longing for more because we would already be full.
I go on these sweet and salty binges. Well, maybe binge isn't the right word, but it's definitely a cycle that comes over me every once in awhile. I crave something sweet, so I'll go eat something sweet. Then I want something salty, so I'll go eat something salty and tell myself I don't need anything else. But, the sweet craving is calling me again! Okay, maybe just one more small sweet thing and then I am really done! And on and on it goes.
Can you relate?
This is how I can be with compliments if I'm not filled by God. It goes something like this: my husband tells me I'm beautiful before he leaves for work, and I feel good about myself, but on another day, I'm not feeling so beautiful, and on this day my husband doesn't tell me I'm beautiful as our day begins, and I go throughout my day and no one comments on how I look, so the lie (masquerading as the truth) that I am not beautiful sinks in a little deeper, and if my husband doesn't tell me I'm beautiful by the time he comes home from work, I'm completely sunk!
Now this may sound really desperate and needy. That's because it is.
If I'm empty of God's love and acceptance, then I'm desperately running around with my big cup - my big need - asking anyone and everyone to fill it. Although, this desperate act only fills my cup a little - never completely. And it won't be long before I've sucked my cup dry again, and I'm on the move, searching for others to tell me who I am and what they think of me.
That's where the second part of Proverbs 27:7 comes in.
....but when you are hungry, even something bitter tastes sweet.
Maybe you're alone right now, no relationship status, and feeling lonely. It can be dangerous to search for love if you haven't asked God to fill your need and tell you who you truly are. The loneliness will take over and just about anyone will do. Suddenly you're compromising in ways you never dreamed you would because "even something bitter tastes sweet."
And this doesn't just happen with relationships. Maybe drugs, alcohol, and partying are what seem sweet to you when you're trying to fill the void. Or maybe it's food. Or obsessions with exercising. Accomplishments and status in your career. You name it, we will find it and ask it to fill us when we're empty and dry.
It is desperate.
And it is needy.
Coming to terms with this is our first step toward Jesus.
We must confess that we are a desperate and needy people, desperate and needy for Him. We must confess our attempts to fill ourselves with things that leave us wanting. And we must confess that Jesus is the living water gushing up inside us so we will never be thirsty again (John 4:14). Or empty. Or hungry. Or desperate. Or needy.
Jesus, I am so thankful You are the only One who can truly satisfy my every need. This frees me to be who You created me to be and to love others more fully. This also allows me to receive love without placing unrealistic expectations on my loved ones. You demonstrate Your love for me in so many amazing and unexpected ways. Cause me to offer my cup to no one but You, Jesus. Because I am Your Beloved, and You are mine. Amen.