A Healthy Addiction?

This week at our small group, we began discussing the "passages of thirst." John 6:35 reads, "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." This is one of the many verses we chewed on.

The group is growing closer each time we meet. We've had several conversations where opportunity abounds for differences of opinion - all done in love. This time, it was about addiction. Although there are bad addictions (these come to mind quickly), are there any addictions that might be considered good?

Here's my thought: When Jesus speaks of hunger and thirst, He's obviously speaking of those things that sustain and lead to real life. If one is so passionate about living real life, can we say that person has an addiction (this time, healthy) to something God ordained as good?

We sang a song called Breathe, during our corporate worship. The chorus includes phrases like "I'm desperate for you", "This (desire for God) is my daily bread", and "I'm lost without you." These phrases sound somewhat similar to the "hunger and thirst" verses in the New Testament.

The discussion among the group brought up some good questions. 1) Is there anything remote to a healthy addiction?; 2) How does one become so passionate about God and continue to live with their feet "on the ground"?; 3) Is it possible to share that love, passion, or addiction, with those around or do we leave the change up to God/Holy Spirit? ; and 4)If there is something of a healthy addiction for Christ, how does one get his/her fix?

I'm now off to do a word study. Thoughts?