Psalm 107:9 — “For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.”

There are many things one could say about the Christmas season. One of those is that it is a time for eating well. Everywhere you turn, delicacies and high-calorie treats are being shared so that by the end of the season, most people will discover a noticeable increase in their waistline.

There have been times when Dad and I have attended party after party. While the friendship is always sweet, I must admit that sometimes I can only taste the dinner offerings. My appetite, having been satisfied with good things from previous parties, has no room left for even another bite.

So goes the Christmas Season.

While Christmas may be the time for feasting on physical food, there is another hunger that often becomes more acute during this season of joy. Pangs from hunger of the soul grow in intensity as our hearts long for all that is good.

Distant families, broken relationships, sickness, heartaches, loneliness and disappointments gnaw on our hearts and beg to be satisfied with wholeness and peace. There is no pastry or confection that can cure this hunger.

The only answer for these cravings is found in the true celebration of Christmas. God sent His only Son to the world to redeem His people from the adversary, the one whose goal from the beginning was to famish our souls with emptiness caused by sin.

When we turn to the baby in the manger, the Son of God who came in the flesh, and allow Him to fill our empty souls with His presence, we can finally receive all for which we have been hungering. While our present difficulties may not disappear, the unfulfilled longings for meaning and relationship will be met by Immanuel Himself – God with us.

As you fill your stomachs with delicious meals and sweet treats this Christmas, keep in mind the remedy for soul hunger. Turn to the baby in the manger, the perfect Son of God, and you will never be hungry or thirsty again. Only He can satisfy the hungry soul with what is good.

Sandra Sheridan is a Midwest wife and mother of five. She shares her messages to her children with Farm World. Visit her at www.VersesFromMama.com