Making Decision While Empty

How does grocery shopping change if you shop while hungry? I think everyone has done this.

For me? I buy more junk food. There was a day I literally ate an entire box of Cheez-It crackers while shopping. Hunger changes your cravings. It changes your judgment. It makes things look good that aren’t good. Spiritually and emotionally, the same thing happens to every one of us.

When we’re hungry, tired, bored, lonely, or discouraged, our appetite shifts, and not always in the right direction.

King Solomon once said, “When you are full, not even honey tastes good, but when you are hungry, even something bitter tastes sweet.” (Proverbs 27:7 NCV)

That verse exposes something simple and true: emptiness makes you vulnerable, and fullness can make you numb.

When my soul or heart is empty, even bitter things can start to look sweet. Temptation looks comforting. Distractions look satisfying. Wrong relationships seem right. Even sin can feel appealing. Scripture warns us, “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NCV)

Emptiness opens the door to things that can quietly pull us off course.

But the opposite is just as real. When I get “full” of comfort or routine or success, even God’s goodness can feel bland. Blessings get predictable. Prayer feels repetitive. Scripture becomes optional. Jesus once said, “People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.” (Matthew 4:4 NCV) In other words, you can fill your life with good things and still starve spiritually… and not even notice.

So where’s the balance? How do I stay hungry for God without starving my soul?

The Psalms point me back: “He satisfies you with good things.” (Psalm 103:5 NCV) And, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8 NCV)

God is the balance. His Word fills the hunger nothing else touches. His presence resets my cravings. His Spirit gives clarity and strength when everything else feels confusing. And when I feed on His truth, the things that once looked sweet… lose their shine.

And honestly, this is the gospel in my everyday life. Jesus stepped into my emptiness. He felt the bitterness of sin, not His own but mine. He carried the weight of my wrong cravings, took my place, died my death, and paid for my sin with His own suffering. And then He rose again so that I could be filled - really filled - with life and hope and a clean heart.

“The Lord is kind and merciful, patient and full of love.” (Psalm 103:8 NCV) His death redeems my hunger. His resurrection satisfies it.

Maybe that’s the point. Appetite reveals direction. What I crave shows where my heart is leaning. What looks “sweet” shows what I believe will satisfy me.

The truth is, we all get hungry. We feel pain. We feel loneliness. Things become predictable. We get bored, even with God’s blessings. Success can lose its excitement.

So what then? Go to God’s Word. It balances us. It fills us with wisdom, love, and discernment. It sets our sail in the right direction. I need that every day. What about you? What are you craving these days? Is it God or is it something not so good for you?

GOD, help me never to get numb from you blessing me. Give me a heart of gratitude every day. IJNIP amen ♥️