DAY 17: Taking Time To Digest The Word

I must confess there have been times when I have been eating standing between my kitchen counter and my front door in a hurry to go to my next meeting or endeavor. These times of shoving down food do their necessary job to sustain us for a while but they are actually not the best to extract all of the nutrients food has to offer. As a lifestyle, always eating in a hurry leads to all kinds of health complications. We were made to enjoy food while we rest. It takes time to chew and to digest. A friend working in the health sector told me that even a fresh juice or smoothie with the best ingredients profits nothing if it is not enjoyed sip by sip. We need the saliva to actually break down the cells and extract the nutrients.

In a similar way the word of God is best digested when chewed upon, reflected upon and prayed about over and over. Though deeply inspiring for the intellect and definitely worth of in-depth study it is really our soul that hungers for its truth. The way our soul gets fed is by encounter. Encounter happens when the written word by the saliva of the Holy Spirit becomes a true reality in our inmost being by a touch from the Man Christ Jesus.

The first description we ever hear of that little girl in Bethany is that she sat down and listened to His words (Luke 10:39). This speaks volume of her use of time, her priorities, and - as Jesus pointed out - of choice. She was not one ear in and one eye on the food, she was all His. In our day and age time and attention are most likely the rarest and most precious commodities available. Consequently, everything and everyone is constantly vying for our time and attention. Making the choice to give Jesus some of our most precious possession is truly costly. Though often true it does not always translate into a more effective day. Like money spent on something it cannot be spent on something else anymore. What it does it that it builds up our inmost being and the effect of a heart rooted and grounded in Christ's love can be felt in every aspect of life eventually.