What are your Cravings?

This past Saturday night we spent the night in a hotel.  Like anytime we get to stay at a hotel it’s a fun adventure and it’s just nice to getaway from the usual.  The weather up north where we were was -12 with a wind chill of -36.  Needless to say we didn’t go out and do any skiing or snowmobiling in the town so known for such winter activities.  We drank coffee and ordered a pizza to take back to our hotel room.  I’m not sure why, maybe from the cold, but we were just plain tired.  By 7 p.m. we were ready to sleep.  (We’re just a blast when we get a night out on the town and get to stay in a hotel!)

We fumbled around with the heater because around the insert there was a major draft of cold air.  With the temperature the way that it was it wasn’t just a little annoying draft, it was a downright uncomfortable one.  We told the hotel lady who had to come into our room to fix something else. She shared with us that on this night it was pretty common for the rooms to have such a draft and that some people had to be moved to another room because snow was actually coming in through the areas next to the heaters.  Ok, that’s downright cold.  Burrrr.  We adjusted the heat and hunkered down in the covers and proceeded to sleep.  I was so very tired and couldn’t get to sleep.  One hour passed.  Two hours passed.  Three hours passed.  Seriously, I’m still awake?  Are you even kidding me?  I CRAVE sleep!!  Apparently I fell asleep because both Brian and I were jolted awake at 2:25 a.m. by the sound of the fire alarm and strobe lights flashing in our room.  We both jumped up searching for a light switch so that we could acclimate ourselves.  Before we could even get a light on, the sound and the strobe lights stopped.   With much annoyance we crawled back into bed and Brian fell right to sleep. 

I have to admit that I whimpered and whined a bit as I harshly tossed and turned because I could not get back to sleep.  I had just gotten to sleep and then that sound—that awful sound.  I craved sleep.  I wanted sleep and nothing else.  I finally got back to a fitful sleep only to awaken early to be greeted by the frigid cold and wind chill.  Needless to say I was grumpy.  I stood in the shower that didn’t work properly and I craved sleep.  I tried to iron my husband’s shirt with the hotel provided iron that wouldn’t turn on and I craved sleep.  I went down to get some coffee and I still craved sleep.  It was going to be a very long day.

Think about a time that you craved something so much and it was just out of your reach.  You had had a tiny glimpse of it before, but you just craved this and wanted nothing else.  Oftentimes the things we crave are things that are not the things that God would want us to crave—things that would go against the good that He has for us.  Have you ever just craved Him?  Have you ever just walked through your day and said, “All I want is more of You God.  I can’t get enough of You.”  You go through your workday and crave more time with Him.  You are in the grocery store shopping and all you can think of is going home and spending more time with Him.  You’ve had those little glimpses of Him and you want more. You crave Jesus. 

Just like the night that I spent craving sleep, I want to crave Jesus.  I want more of Him.  I want to know Him more and I want to serve Him more.  What do you crave this day?