“Grandfather is sick. He can’t even walk now,” our neighbor told us. Adam examined Grandfather and talked with him. He appeared to be suffering from iron deficiency. It is rice-planting time here, which means many people will be short on food until the harvest. Grandfather had been eating only small amounts of white rice. He couldn’t afford to buy vegetables or other nutritious food until the rice harvest.

Adam gave Grandfather some high-iron blackstrap molasses in soymilk and some vitamin C. The next day Grandfather was up and walking around, joyfully crediting the “medicine” we had given him for his revived strength.

As I thought about Grandfather, I was reminded of the situation in America with some people’s poor diets. There are overweight people who are starving for proper nutrition. They eat empty calories and chemical-laden foods that leave their bodies crying for real nutrients.

On both sides of this planet, people are starving for nutrition. In poor developing countries, they starve for lack of good food. In the West, they starve because of too much bad food.

I was struck with the parallel in the spiritual realm. Our family came to this Buddhist/Muslim/animist country to bring the spiritual nutrition of the gospel because there is very little Christian witness here. However, our homeland of America is overflowing with spiritual food, with multiple Christian churches in almost every town and Christian bookstores aplenty. Yet, instead of consuming this spiritual feast, many Americans gorge on self-help books and entertainments that leave them hungering for more. We can even get caught up with reading good Christian literature while ignoring much of God’s Word. As long as the book quotes a verse or two of scripture, we feel as though we’ve been fed, until the empty feeling returns.

Friend, what is your diet like? Are you starving for nutrition? Are your friends and family healthy or malnourished? Do not be satisfied with snacks and junk food. Eat full meals of the Word. God will fill you and give you enough to share with those around you.

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