Not all of our hunger is spiritual, even though we may convince ourselves that it is. We may say we're "fasting" from facebook, but are we really? We may say we're "fasting" from food, but are we really? We fast because we have a genuine hunger for God in our life; or at least, that's how it should be.

Even though we are engaging in spiritual activity, in attending church or praying or worshipping, we still hunger for worldly things. Are we genuine in our cries and our thirst for God, or do we do these things because we think that by following religious practices, God will bless us and do our bidding? Do we go to church and pray to prove to God that we are good children so that he will reward us with what we want, or is it because we love our Father and want a spiritual connection with Him?

In John 5:2-9, Jesus asked an invalid if he wanted to be healed. Instead of an immediate, "Yes, I want to be healed!", the man started giving excuses as to why he hasn't been healed in the past 38 years, even though he sits by a pool with miraculous powers. Like the invalid, we say we are hungry, but we are continuously just waiting for miraculous things to happen to us instead of chasing after our own sustenance. If I was really hungry for God, would I not go out of my way to chase after a relationship with Him? If I want something bad enough, I know I would do anything to obtain it, so why is that not the same case with meeting my Heavenly Father?

Jesus sees our desires to be closer to him, but that doesn't mean we don't need to show initiative. God promises us that if we are sincere, then we will be satisfied in our quest to fill our spiritual hunger and quench our spiritual thirst. Relationships are a two-way street; God is constantly reaching out to us, but we still need to do our part to take His hand.

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