Cotton candy is fun to eat, but it doesn’t provide our bodies with the nutrients it needs to survive. And a diet of empty calories leaves our bodies desperate and craving for more. And often our minds, hearts, and souls are craving more substance as well.
To be sure, it takes time to prepare a quality meal. And it’s clearly more filling and satisfying when we do. But all too often we settle for what’s easy. And more than just easy, we’ve developed a taste for only what we want rather than what we need.
We’ve become the proverbial kid who just fills up on cotton candy and ice cream while our souls are slowly dying inside.
This happens, for instance, when we expect our relationships to be consistently fun and exciting. And we’re ready to bail as soon as we hit a hard season. This leaves us relationally immature and shallow.
At work, this is staying in our comfort zone rather than challenging ourselves to learn something new.
And even socially, politically, and religiously, this is only entertaining thoughts we already agree with rather than hearing a different point of view.
Whatever it looks like, settling for empty calories eventually leaves our souls famished and craving more. Though, to be fair, this simply tends to be the water we swim in and we’re often not aware of what we’re missing.
It takes maturity to consider if we’ve settled for the shallow, cotton candy, and sensationalized approaches to life without real depth of substance and meaning.
And growing might start by simply eating our vegetables – doing what needs to be done regardless of how enjoyable it might be at the moment.
We cannot impact the world for good when our souls are lacking and craving substance.
In the end, don’t settle for the empty calories of life. Intentionally cultivate and feed your soul with meaningful truth, goodness, and beauty. This gives you the substance you need to thrive throughout your life and relationships.
