I had two things happen last week that made me start thinking. At first I was not sure they were related, but sometimes I’m slow to connect the dots.

Thing #1: Last Tuesday was Fat Tuesday, and Wednesday was the first day of Lent. Now Lent is not a religious season { Is that even what you call it?! } that I practice, but I do know what it means, and so that day I journaled this: “Lent is about less of me so there will be more of Him.” And because I am a List Maker, I wrote a list of what I needed less of and what I needed more of.

Thing #2. That same day, Winston { my mostly adorable Yorkie } ate and later vomited a cardinal. Now please know that I didn’t discover it was a cardinal because I inspected the vomit. I know it was a cardinal because earlier that day Winston came into the house with a red feather caught in his whiskers. As I pulled the feather out, I scolded him sternly, “Do not puke up that bird!” Yeah, well. My kids didn’t listen much better either.

The thing is: Winston should know better. This is not his first rodeo. He has an affinity for birds… which he consistently pukes up later… so the obvious question in my mind is, “If you know they’re going to make you sick, why do you eat them?” Now clearly I’m expecting far more from his little dog brain than I should, but my frustration with him got me to thinking.

Exactly what am I feeding myself? And I’m not talking about food { especially since I’m going to self-disclose later in this email that I ate four cupcakes in one day }. No, I’m talking about my LESS list that I had written in my journal. Yep, a quick look back at the list revealed that I AM FEEDING MYSELF every single one of the things that I need less of. And, I’m not feeding myself the things I want more of. Guess Winston isn’t the only one with a small brain?

If I need less busy-ness, then perhaps I should quit feeding myself more things to do.
If I need less distractions, then perhaps I should quit feasting on social media.
If I need less immediate gratification, then perhaps I should quit binging on Google.
If I need less emails and texting, then perhaps …

You get the picture. Based on my “diet”, I’d say it’s not surprising some days I’m starving even though I’ve been eating all day long. Based on my “diet”, I’d say it’s not surprising that some days I have heartburn or feel dissatisfied or even feel sick. Perhaps I should take a look at the spoon in my own hand.

If I want more wisdom, I will feast on God’s Word.
If I want more discernment, I will crave conversation with God.
If I want more direction, my sustenance will come through my obedience.
If I want more rest, I will put down my spoon.

Happy eating!