“Your baby looks so thirsty!”
We were at the park playing with some friends, and I was holding my infant son.
Every time I picked up my water bottle to take a drink, he would try to grab it.
I pulled my water bottle out of his reach and fed him his bottle of milk instead.
But an older kid who was with us was just watching me.
She finally asked, “Why can’t you just let your baby drink your water bottle? He looks so thirsty!”
I explained to this kid that babies’ tummies are so small that they should only be filled with milk to make sure they get all the nutrients they need.
If I gave him water, he would think he was full…
But he would actually miss out on the nutrition his little body desperately needs.
It made me think of this scripture where we learn that people who turn against the Lord will be “. . . like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite.” (2 Nephi 27:3)
I knew my baby needed nutrition, and not water in that moment.
But how many times am I filling my own spiritual life with “water”, completely missing out on the “nutrients”?
What am I doing with my time and energy that I think are giving me nourishment…
But are really just taking up space that the essential things need?
It’s so easy to trick ourselves into thinking we are busy with important things.
But in reality, we are fooling ourselves.
We end up depleted of spiritual nourishment.
But confused as to why we feel spiritually starved.
Every time I get caught in these “I’m too busy for the important stuff” cycles, I’ve learned that nothing solves it like a spiritual reset.
For me that’s often going to the temple (even when I think I don’t have time).
Or it’s making myself study my scriptures for a long time.
I try to do anything that will help focus my time on what actually nourishes my soul.
“Being busy” and having a full metaphorical tummy do not mean I’m actually doing good things, or being nourished.
But turning to the Lord, the source of true spiritual nourishment, helps me realize just how important those spiritual vitamins are.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
